After a frustrating 2016 season, Vasek Pospisil is back to producing the high level of tennis he’s capable of.

Competing at this week’s $100,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in San Francisco, California, the seventh seed battled past #NextGenATP star Reilly Opelka to move into a quarter-final showdown against another American #NextGenATP star in top seed Frances Tiafoe. Pospisil has left the crowd in awe this week with his court coverage and winners from impossible positions.

“I haven’t played too many Challengers lately, but the crowd here is great and the stadium court is really nice,” said Pospisil. “It’s a cool atmosphere and the organisation has been fantastic. Coming from ATP World Tour and Masters 1000 events, it still feels very comfortable here. “

Pospisil is coming off a weekend of outstanding tennis in Canada’s home Davis Cup tie in Ottawa against Great Britain. The Canadian fought through a knee injury to record Top 50 wins over Kyle Edmund and Daniel Evans.

“I was struggling mentally and physically the first match here,” admitted Pospisil. “I’m still feeling the effects because it’s very emotional playing three best-of-five set matches in a weekend. I’m not as fresh as I’d like to be, but it’s also nice to have confidence from getting good wins under your belt.“

The week in Ottawa was also another chance to offer guidance to Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov. The 26 year old has unofficially taken the rising star under his wing and said he’s simply paying it forward from when other ATP World Tour players did the same for him.

“I really like Denis a lot and we have a great friendship,” said Pospisil. “I’m definitely trying to help him out because I know what it’s like being young and up-and-coming. I really valued having advice from guys who had been on tour for a few years. I’m almost 10 years older than him and he’s a great kid, so anytime young guys like that are coming up, I’m more than happy to help anytime.”

Currently No. 131, Pospisil is eager to get his Emirates ATP Ranking back into more familiar territory. He spent the off-season in Southern California with his new coach, 12-time Grand Slam men’s doubles champion Mark Woodforde. The pair worked on several aspects of his game, including “my return and being more aggressive and coming into the net”, which he believes will serve him well in 2017.

“This past season was difficult, but I had been consistently ranked between 25 and 50 for the previous four years, so I want to achieve that and go even higher by getting into the Top 20. Mark is a great guy to try and help me with that,” said Pospisil. “I’ve played at that level on several occasions, so now it’s just a matter of doing it consistently.”

Second seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas came out on top in an all-Spanish battle on Friday against qualifier Roberto Carballes Baena, prevailing 7-5, 4-6, 6-2 to move into the semi-finals of the Ecuador Open in Quito.

Little separated the two players for most of the match, but Ramos-Vinolas relied on his outstanding stamina to power through the final four games and advance in two hours and 54 minutes. He has now matched his semi-final result from last year in Quito (l. Estrella Burgos).

Next up for Ramos-Vinolas is either third seed Paolo Lorenzi or Rajeev Ram. The Spaniard is even in his FedEx ATP Head2Head with Lorenzi at 1-1 and leads Ram 2-0, with his most recent win over the American coming last year in Quito.

Fans at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier will have plenty of local players to cheer on this weekend after second seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, third seed Richard Gasquet and Benoit Paire all won their quarter-final matches on Friday.

Two-time defending champion Gasquet fought off a mid-match surge from qualifier and fellow Frenchman Kenny De Schepper to advance 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. The third seed was unable to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, but grabbed the critical break of serve at 4-4 in the deciding set and held in the next game to prevail in two hours and 16 minutes.

Gasquet is now on a nine-match winning streak in Montpellier and improves his record here to 18-3. He also boosts his FedEx ATP Head2Head against De Schepper to 3-0.

Next up for the defending champion is Benoit Paire, who received an unfortunate path to the semi-finals after Dustin Brown retired due to a lower back injury with the Frenchman up 1-0 in the first set. Paire is now 8-3 in 2017, including a semi-final finish last month in Chennai. Gasquet leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Paire 3-0.

Tsonga didn’t face a break point in defeating #NextGenATP star Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 7-5. He now matches the semi-final showing from his most recent appearance in Montpellier in 2010 (l. Monfils). The World No. 14 in the Emirates ATP Rankings has been on fire this week, dropping just 10 games in two matches.

Next up for Tsonga is the winner between Jeremy Chardy and fourth seed Alexander Zverev. Tsonga leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Chardy 3-1 and with Zverev 1-0, defeating the #NextGenATP star this past October in Shanghai.

Home favourite Grigor Dimitrov delighted the Bulgarian fans as he reached the semi-finals of the Garanti Koza Sofia Open with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over last year’s runner-up, Viktor Troicki, on Friday.

The 25-year-old Dimitrov is set to play in front of a sell-out 12,000-strong crowd this weekend at the Arena Armeec Sofia when he faces either Nikoloz Basilashvili or Martin Klizan.

The Haskovo native is contesting an ATP World Tour event in Bulgaria for the first time and has returned home to a hero’s welcome after reaching the Australian Open semi-finals, where he pushed Rafael Nadal all the way in an exhilarating five-set battle.

Dimitrov was given a scare in his opening match on Thursday night against Jerzy Janowicz, eventually prevailing 7-5 in the third set, before a more straightforward victory over Troicki.

Second seed David Goffin surged into the semi-finals with a 6-1, 6-3 victory in an all-Belgian clash with Steve Darcis, his nation’s Davis Cup hero who beat Philipp Kohlschreiber and Alexander Zverev this past weekend.  

Goffin, a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open last month (l. to Dimitrov), credited his aggressive tactics for pulling him through the contest, which intensified in the second set. “I started the match really well,” said Goffin. “In the second set it was a close match. I had five break points to save and I also had some opportunities that I didn’t take.

“When you win the first set 6-1, you always expect a reaction from your opponent. I managed it very well. I served and volleyed when I had to win the point and it helped me a lot to win the second set. I’m pleased to be in the semi-finals.”

For a place in his seventh ATP World Tour final, Goffin will face defending champion Roberto Bautista Agut, who improved to a 5-0 record at this ATP World Tour 250 tournament with a 7-5, 7-6(5) victory over Gilles Muller. Bautista Agut, who beat Troicki in the 2016 final, takes a 2-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record into his clash with Goffin. 

Ivo Karlovic approaches the practice desk at the Ecuador Open, writes his name with a blue pen on the sheet to book a court from 11.30-1.30, and specifies that he is looking for a practice partner.

He goes back to the hotel to sleep. Maybe when he returns to the Club Jacarandá, someone will have signed up to be his practice partner, so he can play some points. But when he gets back and checks the sheet, no one has written their name down next to his. In other columns he reads: Bellucci + Monteiro, Estrella + Zampieri, Cerratani + Oswald.

All the practice courts at 11.30 have at least two players booked in. All except for the court of the top seed in Quito. For the third time during his stay at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament – and for the thousandth time during his 17-year career – Karlovic must practise alone with his coach, the Serbian Petar Popovic.

He asks for three tubes of balls and walks towards practice court No. 7, while fans stare at him open-mouthed. Being 6’11” will cause that reaction. Once on the court, Ivo starts to warm up and Popovic gets on with his own routine, which he had when he competed on the ATP World Tour before retiring in 2008 at the age of 26.

“It’s not that often that I get to practise with another player,” explains Karlovic. “They don’t really like to practise with me, but I don’t have a problem with that. I have to see my coach almost every day on the other side of the net.” Popovic laughs at his answer. They usually joke about this.

Almost no-one likes to hit with Karlovic because of his flat forehand, slice backhand and his lethal serve, which holds the record for more than 11,000 aces. While the majority of players look for consistency in points to build confidence, Karlovic tries to finish the points as quickly as possible. His style is uncomfortable. “They aren’t used to my game and they can’t find a rhythm.

“But I think this situation is an advantage,” adds Karlovic, a winner of eight ATP World Tour titles and currently No. 18 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. “The less they practise with me, the less likely they are to get used to my game. I like having a unique playing style. The good thing about practising with Petar is that I can do specific work that I need to do.”

Popovic, three years younger than Karlovic, isn’t one of those coaches that leans against a wall to watch and observe a practice session. He sweats as much as or more than his player. “I understand the other players not practising with Ivo because there is zero rhythm playing against him. So it is up to me to be fit enough to practise with him. On holiday I practise three times a week and go to the gym.” It’s not for no reason. Every day, he waits to receive serves faster than 200 kilometres per hour.

The practice situation has strengthened the relationship between them. Karlovic doesn’t know if one day someone is going to write their name next to his on the practice schedule, but the company of Popovic is a certainty. “Above everything, Petar is a friend. Then after that he is someone whom I’ve worked with the past three years. We spend a lot of time together and we get on very well. He is very funny.”

“Our relationship is fun,” explains Popovic. “Sometimes I tell him: ‘Take this, do this.’ And he says: ‘Yes, dad!’ It’s funny because he is older and taller than me. We always find a way to laugh at ourselves. It’s better to be like this because over the course of a year I see more of Ivo than my wife and children!”

Jim Courier was bouncing the ball ahead of his fourth match point, his ever-present white-brimmed cap was pulled low and tight over his brow. A strong serve down the line gave Courier the initiative to attack the net and the resulting backhand volley landed out of the reach of Derrick Rostagno to complete a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 semi-final victory. At that very moment, on 8 February 1992, in the illuminated downtown auditorium in San Francisco, the 21-year-old American was assured of becoming the 10th player in Emirates ATP Rankings history (since 1973) to reach the summit of men’s professional tennis. He dropped to his knees and raised his hands to the sky.

It wasn’t immediately obvious growing up that Courier would become a champion as he pummelled groundstrokes against the wall of a handball court in Dade City, Florida. “Tennis was a fun thing to do with my family and I didn’t dream too far in the future in the early days,” Courier told ATPWorldTour.com. “We watched some tennis on television, but it wasn’t something that I had an early idea of pursuing as a profession. I wasn’t one of those kids pretending to hit a shot to “Win Wimbledon” on the wall like you hear about.”

His parents, Jim Sr. and Linda, always ensured that his brother Kris, and sister, Audra, had equal opportunities. ”Becoming No. 1 was an amazing feat, but it was never the reason I worked hard or the reason my family had made sacrifices on my behalf,” said Courier. “I worked hard from an early age because I had been taught to do so and I wanted to see how good I could be.”

Thoughtful and intense, it was Courier’s tenacity, tremendous work ethic and will to win that ensured he maximised his talent to ultimately usurp Stefan Edberg at No. 1 on 10 February 1992.

Having enlisted the services of Jose Higueras, then working with the U.S. Tennis Association player development program, in November 1990, Courier started the 1991 season ranked at No. 25. Higueras began to address mental and physical aspects and Courier went on to grind his way to No. 2 by winning four titles – including 1991 Roland Garros and the 1992 Australian Open, reaching the ATP Finals and the semi-finals of six other tournaments. “I didn’t start to think too much about reaching No. 1 until it was within my grasp,” admitted Courier. “At the end of 1991, I knew I had a chance to get there if I had a good start to ‘92 and that was exactly what happened with a win at the Australian Open [beating Edberg], which put me on the precipice.”

Courier earned tough wins over a trio of Australians – Mark Woodforde, Jason Stoltenberg and Wally Masur – in San Francisco, as the weight of what he was trying to achieve begun to hang heavily. “I was stressed out about it,” said Courier. “I was very aware of the situation. I just wanted to get there for one week. Derrick was a tricky, dangerous fast-court player and I had to grind my way through that match to get to No. 1. I was battling Derrick as well as the ranking and it was as much of a relief as it was a thrill to win the last point and get to the top of the rankings mountain…

“I remember going down to my knees, saying to myself: ‘This is it, this is the moment [and] they can never take it away from me.’”

Courier was the first American at World No. 1 in six-and-a-half years, following in the footsteps of John McEnroe, who was last there on 26 August 1985. Courier idolised Bjorn Borg as a youngster, admitting, “I tried to emulate his game style and attitude and failed miserably at both, but it worked out in the end.”

Although Courier lost to Michael Chang the next day, in the San Francisco final, he experienced a novel adventure as the Florida-based ATP computer officially listed him as the new No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Having missed an overnight flight to London, Courier caught a red-eye to New York in order to fly onto the English capital by Concorde, and then onto Brussels to fulfil a corporate commitment and play at his next tournament.

”We were on Concorde, heading to the runway but we backed up, the nose wheel wouldn’t turn and so the flight was cancelled,” remembers Courier. “So I spent my first full day at the No. 1 player ordering pizza, sitting in an airport lounge with strangers, with my agent and girlfriend.”

Aged 21 and five months, Courier’s hold on No. 1 was never secure and in the space of 18 months he had exchanged the position with Edberg and his fellow American Pete Sampras. “I enjoyed the battle to get to and try to stay at No. 1, as well as simply trying to get better as a player at the same time. It was a wonderful experience.” Courier spent a total of 58 weeks at No. 1, over four different stints, and eventually retired in May 2000 with 23 titles – including four majors and five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns.

”There are a few things that are mentioned when I am introduced at an event and No. 1 is something that is part of my bio,” says Courier.

“It’s a badge of honour I am proud to wear.”

Third seed Paolo Lorenzi continued his solid form in Quito on Thursday at the Ecuador Open, moving into the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Matthew Ebden.

The Italian required just a single break of serve in each set and didn’t face any break points. Lorenzi has reached at least the quarter-finals in all three of his appearances in Quito, with his best result being a semi-final finish last year.

Next up for Lorenzi is Rajeev Ram, who reached his first ATP World Tour quarter-final on clay by defeating Nicolas Kicker 7-6(5), 6-3. The third seed leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 1-0, prevailing on the indoor courts of Vienna in October 2015.