Continuing our Season In Review Series, ATPWorldTour.com revisits the biggest ATP World Tour upsets of 2016:

(5) Mischa Zverev d. Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 – Basel quarter-finals
One of the brightest emerging talents on the ATP World Tour, #NextGen star Alexander Zverev made his presence known in 2016. Just weeks after notching his maiden title at the St. Petersburg Open, the 19 year old soared to a career-high World No. 20 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in mid-October. But Alexander wasn’t the only Zverev to enjoy a breakout run at season’s end.

Older brother Mischa turned back the clock with a slew of inspired performances of his own, employing his fast-paced lefty serve-and-volley brand of tennis with great success. One week after Alexander’s Top 20 milestone, Mischa reached his first ATP World Tour semi-final in six years behind a signature upset of World No. 3 and home favourite Stan Wawrinka at the Swiss Indoors Basel. The 29-year-old qualifier claimed his fifth match win in seven days, putting years of injury woes behind him with an impressive rise to year-end World No. 51 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Zverev, who entered 2016 at No. 171, claimed just his second victory over a Top-5 opponent, breaking Wawrinka six times. It capped a strong finish to the season that also saw him push Novak Djokovic to the brink in the Shanghai Rolex Masters quarter-finals.

(4) Thiago Monteiro d. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 – Rio de Janeiro first round
The 2016 Rio Open presented by Claro provided many intriguing storylines, with top seed Rafael Nadal and eventual champion Pablo Cuevas staging a late-night semi-final thriller and Argentina’s Guido Pella streaking to his first ATP World Tour final. But arguably the most remarkable performance was turned in by unseeded wild card Thiago Monteiro. To say that the 22-year-old Brazilian’s first tour-level match was a memorable one would be an understatement.

The Rio de Janeiro resident and World No. 338 shocked No. 9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to open the tournament, channeling the energy of the home fans to secure the biggest upset of the year over a Top 10 opponent. Monteiro entered the history books with the victory, becoming the first player to win his debut against a Top 10 player since Guido Pella (d. Tipsarevic) in Dusseldorf 2013 and the first ranked 300 or lower to beat a Top 10 player since Albano Olivetti (d. Fish) in Marseille 2012.

Monteiro would go on to enjoy a breakthrough 2016 campaign, becoming the only player to rise more than 300 spots to a year-end Top 100 position in the Emirates ATP Rankings. The World No. 82 reached a pair of ATP World Tour quarter-finals in Sao Paulo and Gstaad, in addition to claiming his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in Aix-en-Provence, France.

(3) Federico Delbonis d. Andy Murray 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3) – Indian Wells third round
Pressure? What pressure? With his nation on his shoulders, Federico Delbonis stepped up for Argentina, clinching the decisive fifth rubber in the Davis Cup final last month. But the 26 year old has proven he’s capable of big performances under pressure, turning in clutch displays throughout the year. Delbonis did not drop a set en route to the title in Marrakech after claiming one of the biggest wins of his career over World No. 2 Andy Murray at the BNP Paribas Open in March.

The Argentine survived a deciding tie-break against the eventual year-end No. 1 and Barclays ATP World Tour Finals champion in the third round, adding Murray to his list of Top 10 scalps that also includes Roger Federer (Hamburg 2013) and Stan Wawrinka (Geneva 2015). Murray was not at his best on a sun-kissed afternoon in Indian Wells, hitting 44 unforced errors, and World No. 53 Delbonis refused to shy away from the occasion, overcoming a break deficit in the third set to prevail after two hours and 45 minutes. The Round of 16 finish is Delbonis’ best result at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event.

“This was special,” said Delbonis. “For this tournament, for the surface, for me it is my best win.”

(2) Denis Shapovalov d. Nick Kyrgios 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3 – Toronto first round
Making your tour-level debut on home soil is often a magical moment. Win it and you’re an instant hero. This year, Thiago Monteiro embraced the spotlight in Rio de Janeiro (see No. 4 above) and Marcus Willis thrilled the Wimbledon faithful (stay tuned for the best Grand Slam upsets on Tuesday). At age 17, it was akin to a fairytale for Denis Shapovalov at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. The Canadian teen stunned Nick Kyrgios in a dramatic first-round encounter under the lights at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event.

World No. 370 Shapovalov was unflappable in trading baseline blows with the 11th-seeded Aussie, taking an aggressive approach with his one-handed backhand and refusing to acquiesce to the pressure after dropping the second set. A #NextGen star in the making, he was the youngest player to win an ATP World Tour match this year. Despite falling to Grigor Dimitrov in the second round, Shapovalov says it was a memorable experience.

“I might be dreaming still. It’s still hitting me,” said Shapovalov after defeating Kyrgios. “I didn’t expect to win. I’m just going to go fight for every point. That’s what I did. The outcome was very good today.”

“He’s coming off one of the best results of his career. He has a great future,” Kyrgios said. “I’m really looking forward to seeing how he’s going to progress… He’s a top player.”

(1) Jiri Vesely d. Novak Djokovic 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 – Monte-Carlo second round
Novak Djokovic was an indomitable force to open the 2016 season. The champion in Doha, Melbourne Park, Indian Wells and Miami, the Serbian was 28-1 through the first three months of the year and entered the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters as the heavy favourite to retain the title. But his clay-court opener did not go as planned, as World No. 55 Jiri Vesely made a massive statement on one of the game’s biggest stages.

The Czech earned the biggest win of his young career, halting Djokovic’s run of 106 consecutive matches won against players ranked outside the Top 50. It was also his earliest defeat at an ATP World Tour event in three years, since suffering a second-round loss to Grigor Dimitrov in Madrid in 2013. The inaugural Star of Tomorrow presented by Emirates in 2013, Vesely held his nerve for a stunning victory in two hours and six minutes, maintaining his steely resolve in a tense third set. Djokovic had seemed poised to stage a fightback after reeling off four straight games from 2-2 in the second to level the match. But Vesely regrouped in the decider to claim the memorable victory.

“I’m just very, very happy,” Vesely said. “When I went on court, I had completely different thinking, like, ‘I hope to win a game,’ or ‘I really hope to do well.’ But I really had no idea that I really would be able to beat Novak today.”

Biggest ATP World Tour Upsets By Emirates ATP Ranking

Honourable Mentions
•    In just his third ATP World Tour event, American teen Reilly Opelka made a splash in reaching the BB&T Atlanta Open semi-finals. At 18, the World No. 837 stunned third seed Kevin Anderson and seventh seed Donald Young, before falling to John Isner in three sets. Later in August, the 6’11” Opelka would save two match points in also upsetting Jeremy Chardy 11-9 in a deciding tie-break at the Western & Southern Open.

•    #NextGen star Alexander Zverev became the first teenager to win an ATP World Tour crown since 2008 with a title run at the St. Petersburg Open. He earned consecutive Top 10 upsets of Tomas Berdych and Stan Wawrinka in the semis and final.

•    After nearly a year on the sidelines with a hip injury, 18-year-old Swede Mikael Ymer impressed the home faithful at the If Stockholm Open, routing former World No. 7 Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 6-1 in the first round. The World No. 549 was contesting just his second ATP World Tour event.

•    Di Wu put China on the map in 2016, becoming the first from his country to win an ATP Challenger Tour title (in Maui, U.S.A.) and the first to win a match at an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. At No. 182 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, he upset No. 22 Pablo Cuevas in a deciding tie-break at the Shanghai Rolex Masters.

Coming Tuesday: The biggest Grand Slam upsets of 2016

Thomaz Bellucci and Thiago Monteiro helped to launch the 2017 Rio Open presented by Claro, the only combined ATP World Tour 500 tournament in South America, on Thursday.

Kei Nishikori, Dominic Thiem and 2015 champion David Ferrer will compete at the Jockey Club Brasileiro, alongside Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, who finished 2016 at year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings.

Buy Tickets From 19 December

“For the fourth consecutive year, we will have two Top 10 players at the Rio Open, which is very positive,” said Tournament Director Luiz Carvalho. “Nishikori, Thiem and Ferrer are three of the most competitive athletes on the ATP World Tour. In 2017, the Brazilian public will be able to see all the skills and reflexes of Bruno and Jamie who shined around the world in 2016.”

Ferrer will compete for the fourth consecutive year, while 26-year-old Nishikori will be making his debut. Thiem advanced to the 2016 semi-finals (l. to Pella).

Brazilian Soares admitted, “It will be really cool to be able to play with Jamie, my partner, in Rio. This year was very special with two Grand Slam titles and we still ended up as the number one team in the world. I’m sure that Jamie will like it very much in Rio, he likes to play with the fans and will feel at home at the Jockey Club.”

Murray added, “I’m very excited to play Rio Open in February, Bruno has been telling me a lot about the tournament and about Rio, we have very high expectations, we are very competitive and we will do everything we can to win the tournament, We’re going to do our best and I hope we can count on the noisy fans.”

Monteiro recalled during the official launch his emotions in beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in this year’s edition. “It was an unbelievable feeling to play my first ATP World Tour event at home. It was such a long and tough match, but it was all worth it when it finished. I fell on the ground, felt all the energy from the crowd and it pushed me to have the most amazing year of my still young career,” The 22-year-old Monteiro began 2016 at No. 463 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and finished the year at No. 82.

It’s one thing to position yourself to win a tennis match. It’s quite another to actually do it.

Gael Monfils enjoyed his best season on tour in 2016, ending the year at No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Rankings after reaching a career-high of No. 6 last month. In 2015, he finished the season at No. 24, and on the surface, not a lot of his metrics changed during the 12-month period. The difference was Monfils was far more efficient at finishing the job he started when returning.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Monfils’ 44-17 season this year showed that when returning and getting to within one point of breaking at 0/40, 15/40 and 30/40, his conversion rate sky-rocketed compared to last year and at any other time during his 14-year career.

The following comparison to the 2015 season identifies that the number of return games Monfils played was almost identical, but the break points created and converted increased dramatically.

Return Games Played
2015 = 654
2016 = 660

Break Points Converted (2005-2015 Average = 40.8%)
2015 = 40.6% (145/359)
2016 = 45.4% (189/416)

It’s a significant success to move the needle one or two percentage points with break-point conversion, but the flamboyant Frenchman improved almost five percentage points, converting 44 more break points (189 to 145) in 2016 than in 2015.

The following table shows the improvement Monfils made in breaking serve from a specific point score. When the door opened this year, he walked through it.

Monfils’ Percentage Chance of Breaking Serve by Point Score

Monfils converted 16 more break points against first serves in 2016 than in 2015, and similarly converted 28 more break points against second serves, fueling his best season on tour.

Break Points Converted When Receiving First Serves
2015 = 71
2016 = 87

Break Points Converted Receiving Second Serves
2015 = 74
2016 = 102

Monfils finished the 2016 season impressively ranked third on tour in break points converted, but he was the runaway leader on clay courts. He converted a mind-blowing 53.8 per cent of his break points on clay. As a comparison, Rafael Nadal is the career leader at converting break points on clay, at 48.8 per cent.

With the finish line of breaking serve just one point away this season, Monfils crossed it better than he ever has.

Garanti Koza Sofia Open announced on Thursday the participation of Belgian David Goffin, No. 11 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, in the second edition of the tournament.

Goffin has won two ATP World Tour titles. In 2016 he marched to the quarter-finals at Roland Garros and played a match at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. In 2016 the Belgian also reached the final in Tokyo and played back-to-back ATP World Tour Masters 1000 semi-finals at Indian Wells and Miami.

“I am looking forward to playing in Sofia,” Goffin said. “I had my best year in 2016, and I would like to start the next season at the same level. I am also looking forward to seeing the city of Sofia.”

He joins the star ensemble of the Garanti Koza Sofia Open 2017 and will play alongside Dominic Thiem, Grigor Dimitrov, Viktor Troicki and defending champion Roberto Bautista Agut in February at the “Arena Armeec”.

Tournament Director Paul McNamee said: “David is a rising star and a great addition to the field. We now have confirmations from three Top 15 players and four of the Top 20. I’m glad the Bulgarian audience will be able enjoy tennis at such a high level.”

Garanti Koza Sofia Open 2017 will be played at “Arena Armeec” from 5-12 February, 2017. The “hot ticket” for the biggest sporting event in Sofia is on sale at Eventim, with prices starting from 10 leva. Children and pensioners can access a 50 per cent discount during the first five days and a 25 per cent discount for the rest of the tournament as well as for weekly tickets. Spectators can also save up to 160 leva by buying a weekly ticket.

2. Roger Federer d. Marin Cilic 6-7(4), 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(9), 6-3/QF/Wimbledon

Every year lately, when a certain Swiss player heads to a certain grass tennis club in England, his millions of fans ask a four-word question: Is this the year? As in, is this the year Roger Federer will win his record eighth Wimbledon title?

This June, it had been four years since the right-hander had captured his seventh Wimbledon crown. He had come close in 2014 and 2015, losing in the final to Novak Djokovic, and that’s exactly why Federer fans were so excited before his quarter-final match against Marin Cilic.

Djokovic, the two-time defending Wimbledon champion, had lost to Sam Querrey in the third round, leaving second seed Andy Murray, third seed Federer and sixth seed Milos Raonic as the remaining top contenders. And Federer led his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalries against both Murray and Raonic.

But before any fan dreamt of another title, Federer had to face Cilic in a rematch of their 2014 US Open semi-final, which Cilic had won en route to his first Grand Slam title. “He blew me off the court at the US Open. I know what I’m getting into,” Federer said.

Read Match Report: Federer Escapes, Moves Into SFs

The match began almost like a continuation of that semi-final. Cilic was blasting his serve-forehand combination. The 6’6” right-hander was controlling the match, winning almost 90 per cent of the points that started with his first serve during the first two sets.

Midway through the third set, though, Federer crawled through an opening. The Swiss was down three break points at 3-3, 0/40, but he somehow won five straight points to hold and hear screams from the Centre Court crowd. He’d soon take the third set.

Cilic refused to hang his head in the fourth set, though, and earned three match points, including two on Federer’s second serve. But Cilic put neither of those serves in play, and Federer erased all three match points en route to winning the fourth set after a 20-point tie-break.

“If we would go back to play again, I would try to be more aggressive on the chances when I had them in the fourth. Maybe there was a slight hesitation [during] some of them,” Cilic said.

Federer carried that momentum for the entire fifth set, breaking Cilic at 4-3 and ending the match with two of his seven aces. To the delight of the Centre Court crowd, Federer had come back from two-sets down for the 10^th time in his career and kept his title hopes alive.

“Today was epic. Probably going to look back at this as being a great, great match that I played in my career, on Centre Court here at Wimbledon,” Federer said. “This is huge for me, my season, my career. I’m very, very happy.”

1. Lucas Pouille d. Rafael Nadal 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(6)/4R/US Open

All season long, Lucas Pouille had shown he was one of the best players on the ATP World Tour during the biggest moments. Coming into the US Open, the Frenchman was ranked No. 25 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, but he had played like Top 5 player when under pressure, according to the Under Pressure Leaders category of the ATP Stats LEADERBOARDS, powered by the Infosys Information Platform.

The 22 year old, however, had never faced a pressurised moment quite like this one: Fifth-set tie-break. Fourth round of a Grand Slam. Facing Big Four member and two-time US Open champion Rafael Nadal.

Past history pointed to a Nadal rout. The Spaniard had dismissed Pouille 6-2, 6-1, at the 2015 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, and before the 2016 US Open, Pouille had never won a match at Flushing Meadows. “I was not confident before the match,” Pouille would say later.

Read Match Report: Pouille Conquers Nadal In New York

Then again, 2016 had already been a breakthrough season for Pouille. He had hiked 62 spots in the Emirates ATP Rankings, played in his first ATP World Tour final (Bucharest, l. to Verdasco) and reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon (l. to Berdych). So why not add one more career-best achievement to the list?

The Frenchman rolled through the opening set, but Nadal answered in the second set, and back-and-forth they went, each player finding ways to answer the other’s momentum. In the fifth set, Nadal led 4-2 and appeared headed towards his seventh US Open quarter-final. It would have marked his first Grand Slam quarter-final of 2016 as well.

But Pouille found a way to turn things around against the 2010 and 2013 US Open champion. All match long, the 6’1” right-hander had brought the action to Nadal, charging the net and stepping around his backhand to pelt winners. For the match, Pouille would win 60 per cent of his net points (38/63) and hit 59 winners.

Most importantly, he didn’t let nerves change his game plan in the fifth-set tie-break. The Frenchman led 6/3 in the tie-break before Nadal won three straight points for 6/6. The Spaniard then had a chance to earn a match point but he missed a short forehand putaway.

“A big mistake, yeah. But you are six-all in the tie-break. I played the right point. I put [myself] in a position to have the winner and I had the mistake,” Nadal said. “You cannot go crazy thinking about these kind of things.”

Pouille seized the opportunity the very next point. At 7/6, the Frenchman slid to his left once more and unleashed a forehand that sailed over the high part of the net and landed just inside the sideline. “It’s the best win of my career so far,” he’d say later.

For the second Grand Slam tournament in a row, Pouille had reached the last eight. No one could say he hadn’t earned it. The 22 year old had won three consecutive five-set matches. Pressure? Lucas Pouille lives for it!

In August 2015, the spotlight had not yet discovered 17-year-old American Taylor Fritz.

He was No. 685 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and had lost in the first round of US Open qualifying to No. 123 Luca Vanni 6-3, 6-3. Fritz won only three points against the Italian’s first serve, four against his second serve, and was not able to generate a single break point.

And then everything changed. The American won 11 straight matches and strung together four impressive results in four months:

• Oct. 2015: Won $100K Challenger, Sacramento, California

• Oct. 2015: Won $50K Challenger, Fairfield, California

• Nov. 2015: Finalist $50K Challenger, Champaign, Illinois

• Jan. 2016: Won $75K Challenger, Onkaparinga, Australia

Fritz’s ranking jumped from No. 685 to No. 155 during that run, and the spotlight is now well and truly shining in his direction as he finished the season ranked No. 76, slightly down from a career high of No. 53 in August.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the Californian’s meteoric rise highlights the strengths that got him this far this quickly, and also what improvements Fritz needs to make in 2017 to keep feeding the steep growth curve.

First-Serve Prowess

For 2016, Fritz finished 52^nd in the Serve Leaders category of the ATP Stats LEADERBOARDS, powered by the Infosys Information Platform, including 30^th in first-serve points won, 73.2%, and 17^th in average aces per match, 8.4. His first serve is a bomb.

View The ATP Stats LEADERBOARDS

When he lost to then-World No. 5 Stan Wawrinka in four sets in the opening round of Wimbledon this year, the American’s fastest serve was 135 mph. Wawrinka topped out at 129 mph.

Focus On Returning

This is where Fritz will find his growth in 2017, as most maturing players do. In the 2016 season, Fritz fared 66^th best in the Return Leaders category of the ATP Stats LEADERBOARDS. He didn’t break the Top 50 in any of the four return statistics that comprise the Return Leaders category.

The below chart shows six point scores and the percentage chance of breaking at each scoreline for Fritz and fellow #NextGen players Kyle Edmund, World No. 45, and Alexander Zverev, No. 24 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

2016 Season: Percentage Chance Of Breaking Serve By Point Score

Break Points Saved

Fritz was 21^st on the ATP World Tour in 2016 in break points saved at 64 per cent. Behind his first serve, that percentage elevated to an extremely high 77 per cent (125/163), which is even higher than World No. 1 Andy Murray and World No. 2 Novak Djokovic, who were both at 74 per cent.

But behind second serves, both Murray (56 per cent) and Djokovic (57 per cent) were well above Fritz’s 47 per cent, identifying another snapshot of current vulnerability.

Fritz turned 19 just over a month ago (Oct. 28), and is still very much putting the pieces of the puzzle together in his developmental pathway. Look out world when this rough draft starts looking like a masterpiece.