The 2018 season is still two weeks away, yet a pair of #NextGenATP stars are already carrying significant momentum into their new campaigns. Alex de Minaur and Soon-woo Kwon continue to make great strides in their push towards the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, with both securing main draw wild cards at the Australian Open. 

On Sunday, 18-year-old De Minaur, the highest-ranked Aussie teen, won the Australian Open Wild Card Play-off with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-1 victory over Alex Bolt. The World No. 208 will make his second straight appearance at his home Grand Slam, after reaching the second round on debut in 2017.

“I feel like I thoroughly deserve this one – that’s what happens when you are actually playing for one,” De Minaur said following the match. “I couldn’t be happier with my level and I can’t wait for the Australian summer to come.

“I think I’ve still got a lot to get better at. But this week my level was great throughout. I didn’t think I dropped my concentration at all.”

Past and future Australian tennis. @lleytonhewitt presents @alexdeminaur with his @AustralianOpen accreditation. #ALPlayoff pic.twitter.com/MKSPZQ25Jt

— TennisAustralia (@TennisAustralia) December 17, 2017

In January, De Minaur crashed onto the scene with a thrilling five-set upset of Gerald Melzer in his debut Down Under. And the former junior No. 2 would later crack the Top 200 for the first time after finishing runner-up at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Segovia, Spain, in August.

Kwon, meanwhile, will make his tour-level debut after winning the Asia-Pacific Wild Card Play-off. The 20-year-old Korean did not drop a set throughout the competition, sealing his place in the first Grand Slam of the year with a 6-1, 6-1 win over China’s Zhe Li. The play-off exclusively features players from the Asia-Pacific region.

It has been an impressive conclusion to 2017 for #NextGenATP Koreans, following Hyeon Chung’s victory at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan last month. Kwon will look to build on a career-high of No. 168 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after posting a 27-17 record on the ATP Challenger Tour this year. He reached his first finals in Yokohama (l. to Sugita) and Seoul (l. to Fabbiano).

The 2018 Australian Open begins on 15 January.

Continuing our Season In Review series, ATPWorldTour.com pays tribute to the first-time winners of the 2017 season. In part one of our two-part series, we look at the year’s first four first-time winners. 

Gilles Muller – Sydney [First-Time Winner Spotlight]

It was one of the warmest moments of the 2017 ATP World Tour season. A hard-working and well-liked veteran, with his wife and two young sons in the stands, crying after a career triumph he thought might never come.

Gilles Muller had lost his first five ATP World Tour finals. In 2016, the left-hander held three championship points against Ivo Karlovic at the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open in Newport, but lost them all. The 33-year-old from Luxembourg wondered if he would ever win a title.

Then he did. After beating defending champion Viktor Troicki of Serbia in the semi-finals, Muller dismissed Brit Daniel Evans 7-6(5), 6-2 to win the Sydney International in January. All-time great Rod Laver presented him with the trophy on court.

“Everything that happened tonight was like in a movie. Rod Laver there, standing on centre court with the trophy, my kids in the stands, can’t ask for more,” Muller said. “I’ve been waiting for this a long time. I’ve lost five finals before, so my biggest dream and goal was to win a title. Finally it’s here, so it’s great. It’s a lot of weight off my shoulders now.”

The 2017 season would only get better for the left-hander. Muller reached his career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 21 in July after he made his first Grand Slam quarter-final by beating Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon fourth round. Muller also reached two more finals, falling in the Millenium Estoril Open (l. to Carreno Busta) before winning the Ricoh Open in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (d. Mahut).

Ryan Harrison – Memphis [First-Time Winner Spotlight]

Ryan Harrison’s first ATP World Tour title came during a homecoming of sorts. The American grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, and the closest ATP tournament when he was a kid was the Memphis Open. Harrison envisioned himself hoisting the trophy at The Racquet Club of Memphis one day.

During his first ATP World Tour final, Harrison became the second first-time winner of 2017, saving 12 break points to beat Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-1, 6-4 in just 76 minutes.

“This is like a hometown event for me,” Harrison said. “I looked at the board and the last American that won it was Andy Roddick. Then I saw all the other guys that won here and it’s just an incredible moment.”

The title pushed Harrison back into the Top 50 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, and the right-hander would have even more success in singles and doubles in 2017. He reached the BB&T Atlanta Open final (l. to Isner). In doubles, Harrison and New Zealand’s Michael Venus won the Roland Garros title and reached the semi-finals of the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals. 

Borna Coric – Marrakech [First-Time Winner Spotlight]

Talk about coming through in the big moments. #NextGenATP Croatian Borna Coric was down five championship points against German Philipp Kohlschreiber in the Grand Prix Hassan II final but saved them all to earn his maiden title. Coric had fallen in his first two finals, the 2016 Grand Prix Hassan II (l. to Delbonis) and the 2016 Aircel Chennai Open (l. to Wawrinka).

“I would say that’s my biggest comeback, I’ve never saved five match points,” Coric said. “Especially in such an important match, I served very well in the big points. It’s an awesome feeling. I didn’t know what to expect when I came here and I wasn’t in the best shape. But I’ve been working very hard the past three or four months and now it’s paying off.”

Coric earned big wins later in the season as well, including an upset of World No. 1 Andy Murray at the Mutua Madrid Open. The Croatian finished his year by making the semi-finals of the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.

Yuichi Sugita – Antalya [First-Time Winner Spotlight]

In February, Japan’s Yuichi Sugita was No. 134 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. On 1 July, he was the champion of the inaugural Antalya Open in Turkey. Sugita climbed into the Top 50 of the Emirates ATP Rankings with his first title, beating Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-1, 7-6(4).

“I’m really happy to be the first champion in Antalya,” Sugita said. “This is the most emotional moment of my career. I’ve won many Futures and Challenger titles, but never at a big tournament like this. It’s just amazing. I can’t believe it.” 

The next week, Sugita checked off another career first, earning his maiden Grand Slam match victory at Wimbledon. Sugita would also reach his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. He will finish 2017 at No. 40, a career-high year-end Emirates ATP Ranking for the 29-year-old.

“Many players are having their good results after 28 or even 30,” Sugita said. “Actually I’m not so surprised about this, because tennis takes more time to reach your top level. I kept trying and I’m going to keep going.”

Read More: Sugita Storming Into The Spotlight In Cincy

Coming Monday, part two of our two-part series, highlighting the final three first-time winners of 2017.

The moment Grigor Dimitrov lifted the most important trophy of his career after claiming victory at the Nitto ATP Finals last month was certainly iconic. Now, it is award-winning. Libris by PhotoShelter has announced the image is one of its 17 Iconic Images from all walks of life in 2017. 

“The 2017 Libris Iconic Images capture many of the year’s most memorable moments,” PhotoShelter CEO Andrew Fingerman said. “These 17 images are a small sample of the incredible images created by our Libris clients this year. To say we are proud to work with creative professionals of this calibre is an understatement.”

British photographer Thomas Lovelock shot the award-winning photo for ATPWorldTour.com after Dimitrov defeated David Goffin in the championship match at The O2.

View Libris by PhotoShelter’s 17 Iconic Images of  2017

View more photos from the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals

Continuing our Season In Review Series, ATPWorldTour.com revisits the biggest Grand Slam comebacks of 2017:

5. Andreas Seppi d. Nick Kyrgios 1-6, 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2, 10-8 – Australian Open 2R

There seems to be a special connection between Andreas Seppi and the Australian Open. Three years ago, the Italian saved a match point to upset Lleyton Hewitt in a five-set thriller at the Australian Open. Then, in 2015, he would advance to the Round of 16 with a stunning four-set dismissal of Roger Federer – his first Top 10 win at a Grand Slam.

As Seppi began to battle back from a two-set deficit against home hope Nick Kyrgios in this year’s second round, another moment of magic was in the cards. In front of a packed crowd on Hisense Arena, Seppi took the third set 6-4 and the fourth set 6-2 and it quickly became apparent that the Italian would deliver even more heartbreak to the Aussie faithful. 

In 2015, Seppi had fallen to Kyrgios 8-6 in a decider after racing to a two-set lead. The 33-year-old was ready to repay the favour. He would deny a match point while serving at 8-7 in the fifth set with a rifled forehand winner and snatched the decisive break in the next game. Seppi’s 16th ace would seal the 1-6, 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2, 10-8 victory after three hours and nine minutes.

“I remember the match from two years ago – it was pretty much the same,” said Seppi. “I knew what’s going to happen, what it was going to be like on the court. It’s always very, very tough to play in a crowd like this or stadium like this. But it was a great atmosphere.

“I just was focusing on my game. I served for the match before, lost my serve. I just tried to refocus, play like I did before. On match point, it was a big shot down the line. Maybe it was meant to be.”

4. Janko Tipsarevic d. Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-7(5), 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(2), 6-3 – US Open 1R

For nearly two years, Janko Tipsarevic found himself outside of the Top 300 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Recurring foot problems kept the Serbian on the sidelines for extended periods, but the former World No. 8 never gave up hope.

As Tipsarevic continued to fight towards a return to the Top 50 of the Emirates ATP Rankings at the US Open, that resilience was on full display. In a first-round marathon on Court 17, the Belgrade native clawed back from a two-set deficit to deny #NextGenATP Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-7(5), 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(2), 6-3 in four hours and 10 minutes.

Kokkinakis, who was in the midst of his own comeback quest following a multitude of injuries, did well to save 16 of 22 break points faced, but Tipsarevic’s experience guided him past the finish line. The 33-year-old was denied three match points with Kokkinakis serving at 5-2 in the decider, but would close it out on his fifth chance in the next game.

Tipsarevic, a nominee for the Comeback Player of the Year Award in the 2017 ATP World Tour Awards Presented by Moët & Chandon, was sitting outside the Top 250 one year prior. But a quartet of ATP Challenger Tour titles in 2017 – two in Thailand and two in China – saw the Serbian vault back inside the Top 60. He completed a perfect 20-0 campaign on the circuit. Moreover, the comeback victory over Kokkinakis was his first from two sets down in five years.

3. Ivo Karlovic d. Horacio Zeballos 6-7(6), 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 22-20 – Australian Open 1R

Ivo Karlovic said that, long after he retires, this is one match he will never forget. Neither will we.

Court 19 at Melbourne Park could barely contain the drama that was unfolding in its modest confines, as Karlovic and Horacio Zeballos battled for five hours and 14 minutes in a marathon first-round encounter. Karlovic rebounded after dropping the first two sets to claim a stunning 6-7(6), 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 22-20 victory. The 42-game deciding set alone lasted two hours and 41 minutes, with the Croatian saving a break point at 3-2 and the Argentine denying one at 11-11, before Karlovic finally closed the door with a break at 21-20 30/40.

The thriller spanned 84 games in total, breaking the Australian Open record since the introduction of the tie-break in 1972. It surpassed Andy Roddick and Younes El Aynaoui’s 2003 classic of 83 games. Only Novak Djokovic’s win over Rafael Nadal in the 2012 final was longer by time played, at five hours and 53 minutes.

“This match is what I will, after my career, remember,” said Karlovic. “If it was an easy match or I lost easily, I wouldn’t remember it. But this one I will definitely remember forever. 

“My arm is good, but my knee, my back a little bit, is not so good,” said Karlovic. “I was just trying to hang in there, just point by point… [As the fifth set wore on], actually I was thinking about that other match: [John] Isner versus [Nicolas] Mahut (at 2010 Wimbledon, which Isner won 70-68 in the fifth set). I was hoping, a little bit, it could go that long so I could also have that record.”

Karlovic’s 75 aces is another Australian Open record, blasting Joachim Johansson’s previous single-match mark of 51, which was set in 2005.

In addition, it was just the third 0-2 comeback of the 38-year-old’s career. His two previous victories both came against James Blake, rallying in the 2009 Davis Cup quarter-finals and in the 2013 US Open first round.

2. Mischa Zverev d. John Isner 6-7(4), 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(7), 9-7 – Australian Open 2R

John Isner and Mischa Zverev had faced off on two previous occasions entering the season, and both proved to be one-way traffic in favour of the American. So when Isner grabbed a two-set lead in their Australian Open second round encounter, it looked like much of the same. 

But 2017 would bare witness to a much improved Zverev and the German’s impressive campaign kick-started with this riveting comeback at Melbourne Park. After dropping the first two sets in tie-breaks, Zverev extended the match to a fourth, where he would fight back from a break down at 4-2 and turned aside a pair of match points. The first was saved as he served to stay in the encounter at 5-4 and the second was denied at 7/6 in the ensuing tie-break.

The match would progress to a decider, where Isner saved three straight match points of his own at 6-5, but the big-serving American was unable to deny a fourth at 8-7. A rifled return at Isner’s feet pushed the German across the finish line after four hours and 10 minutes. The 30-year-old Zverev notched the first comeback from two sets down in his career and his first five-set victory in a decade (2007 Wimbledon qualifying). He would finish 2017 with a perfect 4-0 record in five-setters.

“It was definitely my biggest win, especially coming back from two sets down,” said Zverev. “Now being in the third round of the Australian Open, it was everything. I was emotional with my family being here and coming back from injury. It was big.”

The match proved to be the catalyst for Zverev’s strong season, which saw him stun World No. 1 Andy Murray just days later and included a first ATP World Tour final appearance in Geneva. He would go on to beat Isner on two other occasions, prevailing in the Geneva second round and US Open third round.

(1) Juan Martin del Potro d. Dominic Thiem 1-6, 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(1), 6-4 – US Open 4R

This was as good as it gets. We might might never see another comeback with such drama, such emotion and such grit and determination than the display Juan Martin del Potro and Dominic Thiem exhibited at the US Open. It was one for the ages.

Known as one of the more passionate and exuberant players on the ATP World Tour, Del Potro left it all on Grandstand court on a Tuesday evening in Flushing Meadows. Fighting a flu and a fever, the Argentine was barely able to move as he entered the court and with little range and rhythm, Thiem took advantage, blasting to a quick 6-1, 6-2 lead.

But the heavily partisan Argentine crowd, draped in blue and white, carried the 2009 champion. They urged on the lethargic and fatigued Tandil native and despite being on the verge of tears, he would respond in grand fashion. Bolstered by the crowd, he rewrote the script, halting Thiem’s flood of momentum with a run of eight of the next 10 games.

Once again, the Austrian answered with a break in the fourth to take a 5-2 lead. He would serve for the match but Del Potro was far from finished, breaking back and eventually saving two match points – both with mammoth aces – while serving at 5-6. The drama boiled over to a fifth set, and as a rush of adrenaline surged through Del Potro, he would grab his second match point after three hours and 34 minutes.

“I don’t know how I was able to win that match,” del Potro said to ESPN in his post-match interview. “I was sick the last two days and I tried to play as best that I can. When I saw this crowd cheering for me, I was trying to feel better. I fought like this because of these guys.”

It marked the seventh five-set victory in Del Potro’s career and just the second comeback from two sets down. He would follow it up with a four-set upset of Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, reeling off 20 of 24 matches to finish the season and falling just short of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals.

Continuing our Season in Review series, ATPWorldTour.com reviews some of the year’s odd moments on the ATP World Tour. 

There are plenty of things that happen during a tennis match. From winners and errors to overheads and tweeners, ATP World Tour players always entertain the crowd.

But there were also some quirky moments on the court in 2017.

At the Miami Open presented by Itau, Tommy Haas and Jiri Vesely got a special visitor after their second set.

An iguana was spotted on one of the court’s scoreboards, delaying play. Vesely had no interest in continuing play with the animal even near the court, while Haas walked right up to it for a selfie.

“Maybe the iguana got the note that this is most likely the last time playing here, and he wanted to say, ‘Hi’, and take a peek or something. I don’t know, but it was pretty cool. Of that size, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that,” Haas said. “At one point the people were just trying to see if we can just get him off the scoreboard, but then he made an appearance and ran up and down the court as well back to the other scoreboard. So it was fun… It’s nice for him to stop by. Good-looking iguana.”

The iguana was not the only animal to interrupt play on the ATP World Tour this season. Just a couple of weeks later, a bird caused a stoppage in Monte Carlo. In the second round of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, eventual champion Rafael Nadal was serving to move within one game of victory in the third set against Kyle Edmund when a small bird landed on the net.

While a ballperson attempted to usher it away, the bird flew onto the court’s surface instead, much to the crowd’s enjoyment.

Eventually, thanks to coaxing from the ballperson and Nadal, the bird flew to the front row behind the Spaniard and watched as he won the final two games of the match to advance to the third round.

It was not only creatures that caused quirky moments this year, though.

Usually, the only danger in stepping on the tennis court is not performing well. But Marcelo Melo learned otherwise at the Internazionali BNL D’Italia.

When the Brazilian stepped to the net while partner Lukasz Kubot served early in the second set against Henri Kontinen and John Peers, he certainly did not expect to accidentally get drilled in the head.

Kontinen and Peers would eventually win the quarter-final, 6-4, 7-6(6). And while it was a double-whammy for Melo — losing and getting knocked in the head by his teammate — Kubot/Melo would finish the year at No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings.

But perhaps the most bizarre moment of the season came on the ATP Challenger Tour in April at the Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open. 

It is not often that a player will crack into laughter after falling behind 0/15 in a game, but that is exactly what happened to Frances Tiafoe at 6-3, 3-2 in the second set of his first-round match against Mitchell Krueger. The cause was noise coming from an amorous couple in a nearby building, which broke Tiafoe’s concentration and interrupted play. Krueger grabbed a spare tennis ball and smacked it toward the building, drawing laughs from the crowd. 

A couple of points later, the noise was still audible. “It can’t be that good,” Tiafoe shouted in the building’s direction. He went on to win the match 6-3, 6-2.