Big Wins and Bigger Opportunities

The first round of this year's Australian Open is in the books, and we've already seen a slew of surprises and standouts. And though most of the favorites have had winning starts -- even those we haven't seen in a while, even those who haven't won in a while -- not all the seeds made it out unscatched. And perhaps we've only seen the start of what those who beat them can do.

Fearless 💪@JLPegula breaks through to the second round after overcoming a Victoria Azarenka sized challenge 👏

7-5 6-4 #AusOpen | #AO2021 pic.twitter.com/JRLDMI4uoC

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 9, 2021

I'll start with the first big upset we saw this event, though perhaps it wasn't the most surprising. Tenth seeded Gael Monfils has struggled since the end of lockdown, losing four straight matches to end the 2020 season, suffering a next injury, and kicking back off with a loss to Matteo Berrettini in his only match at the ATP Cup. His first round opponent, meanwhile, far from a household name, was pretty active at the end of last year. Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori, a former Junior Masters champ who scored his first ATP top ten win over Dominic Thiem in Davis Cup action back in 2019, didn't have any major upsets last year, but did get his first Grand Slam victory at the U.S. Open, scored a win over Jannik Sinner, before that teen's breakout, and reached the semis at Nur-Sultan. Still ranked #86 in the world, he was a deep underdog against Monfils, but held tight after losing the first set and battled through nearly four hours to get the win. He'll next face Spain's Pedro Martinez, actually a spot below him in the rankings and someone he's beaten twice at Challengers events. If he can keep his streak going, he could set himself up for a deep run here.

Another one to watch is 20-year-old American Ann Li, who reached the Wimbledon Girls' final back in 2017 and was able to notch a few wins at the Majors last year, upsetting thirteenth seeded Alison Riske last year in New York. But she really had a break through last week in the Grampians draw, notching a surprisingly easy win over Sorana Cirstea in the quarters before a stunning victory over world #24 Jennifer Brady in the semis. While what would have been her first WTA final wasn't contested, the run helped her to a career high ranking of #69 in the world heading into the Open, and she didn't disappoint in her first match out the gate. Against veteran Shuai Zhang in the first round, she dropped just two games -- albeit on her own serve -- and rolled to the win in under fifty minutes. She'll next meet Alizé Cornet, a one-time world #11 who did beat Sofia Kenin last year in "Cincy", but if Li plays like she's been playing, I like her chances to get this win too.

Of course the big surprise of these early days came from another American who might have scored the biggest upset yet. Jessica Pegula, who really hit her stride last year with a wins over Caroline Wozniacki on her way to the Auckland final and Jennifer Brady and Aryna Sabalenka in her "Cincy" quarters run, took a set off Sofia Kenin this past week too. She's shown she's got talent, but I really didn't expect her to get the better of Victoria Azarenka like she did. One of the best comeback stories of last year, the former #1 made the final of the U.S. Open and Ostrava after capturing her first title in four years at the Western & Southern. She may have pulled out of the Grampians draw last week, but most of us thought that was to rest up for the Open, not because of any serious issue. Still, after climbing to a 5-2 lead, Vika needed two medical timeouts and couldn't get her bearings back. Pegula finished off the win in two sets, setting up a date with wildcard Sam Stosur, a champion in New York nearly a decade ago. It'll be daunting to go up against the vet, who did beat her just in 2019, but if she holds her ground, Pegula could be on her way to her best Slam showing yet.

Some of these wins were certainly more surprising than others, but any one of them could set the stage for something big for the victors. We'll see if they can hold on to the momentum in the coming days. After all, anything can happen Down Under, and it's up to them to make the most of it.

The 2020 Tennis Spin Awards: Best Hot Streaks

In a year that was stop-and-go for so many reasons, it's a miracle anyone was able to find their footing for any stretch at a time. But a couple players managed to show their consistency over long periods in 2020 and have therefore earned themselves this year's Tennis Spin Awards for...

Okay, obviously Novak Djokovic, who won 26 straight matches between January and early September, might be deserving of this honor in many people's books. But I'm choosing to leave him out and instead focus on players whose win streaks may have been more of a surprise -- after all, Nole has gone 41 wins straight in the past. That doesn't necessarily negate his accomplishment this year, but it certainly feels like something we expect from him more than others.

So here's to the standouts who found strength to thrive week after week, even when all the odds seems stacked against them.

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The Women

The Winner: Aryna Sabalenka

The Belarusian has had some hot and cold spells over the years, but she really tends to turn things on towards the end of the seasons. Last year, for example, she picked up trophies in the not-yet-under-seige Wuhan -- her second straight title there -- and Zhuhai, and she wrapped up 2020 with an even more impressive run in Europe where she had to pull off some of the most impressive comebacks of the year.

After an early exit at the French Open, Aryna Sabalenka rebounded from a 1-6 set against Coco Gauff in the first round of the inaugural Ostrava Open in the Czech Republic and a round later, was a point away from losing her first eleven games to Sara Sorribes Tormo before winning the next twelve. She went on to win the title -- I should say titles, she picked up doubles too.

In the last event of the year she was on much more solid ground, dropping only one set to take the title in Linz, her third of the year, to give her a nine match win streak she'll bring into 2021. At #10 in the world now, she's just a shade off her career high ranking, but if she keeps her momentum going, she's well in good shape to move even higher.

The 2020 @WTALinz champion, @SabalenkaA! 😃 pic.twitter.com/g7YMZbtasS

— wta (@WTA) November 15, 2020

Runner-Up: Elena Rybakina

I've talked about the phenomenal consistency of the young Kazakh before, and while she didn't quite keep up her pace after the lockdown, well, who can blame her? She played one event after another at the start of the year, taking off only the week after the Australian Open when there was only Fed Cup going on. And, more impressively, she made the final in every event other than that Major and the one in Doha, where she withdrew after winning her second round. After a slow start in the second half of the year, she did finish runner-up in Strasbourg, her fifth final of 2020, and while her only title came in Hobart in January, she's shown she doesn't tire easily and will be willing to do the work to earn even bigger titles down the road.

Honorable Mention: Simona Halep

It's also worth highlighting the impressive hot streak put together by the former world #1 on either side of the lockdown. The winner over Rybakina in the Dubai final in February, Simona Halep chose to skip the U.S. hard court circuit and instead dominated the clay of Europe for some time. After pulling out of Palermo, she claimed titles in Prague and Rome before getting unceremoniously stopped by Iga Swiatek in Paris, where she was the heavy favorite. In total, she'd won sixteen straight matches, a career best for her, and hopefully she'll be well-recovered enough to resume her winning ways in the new year.

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The Men

The Winner: Daniil Medvedev

At the end of last season, I wondered if there was anything that would be able to stop Daniil Medvedev from storming through one draw after another and claiming each and every title. He did, after all, put up one hell of a fight against Rafael Nadal in the U.S. Open final and go on to win evens in St. Petersburg and Shanghai right after that.

He wasn't quite so untouchable at the start of 2020, though, losing early in Rotterdam and Marseille after a technical upset by Stan Wawrinka in Australia. He failed to defend a title in Cincinatti and squandered a pretty big opportunity in the New York semifinals before a pretty ugly run in the early fall.

That's when he finally was able to turn things around. At the Paris Masters he ploughed through four top-25 players on his way to his first title of the year, his third at the premier level. And then at his second year-end championships, he turned an 0-3 record from last year fully on its head, winning all his round robin matches -- the only man to do so -- and coming back from a set down in the semis and the title round to claim the title.

Medvedev ends the year at a career-high -- so far -- of #4 in the world, ahead of Roger Federer and not to far behind Dominic Thiem. Will he ride his ten-match win streak to an Australian Open title and push even higher? Well, I'm actually even more sure of his potential now than I was a year ago. And I actually find myself rooting for him this time.

🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/xAk1RMG7EJ

— Daniil Medvedev (@DaniilMedwed) November 22, 2020

Honorable Mention: Gael Monfils

The veteran Frenchman is one of those players that you can never count out. First in the top ten in 2009, Gael Monfils fell out of the top hundred in 2013, climbed his way back to a career-high #6 in the world in 2016, made the semis at that year's U.S. Open, dropped a bit again, and now stands at #11. So given his longevity, maybe I shouldn't be surprised that he put together an impressive twelve-match win streak before the lockdown. After the Australian Open he picked up titles in Montpelier and Rotterdam before reaching the semis in Dubai. He's been on a bit of a losing streak since the lockdown ended, though, nursing a neck injury in the back half, but my money's on him to come back swinging when he's back on court.

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Be sure to come back for more Tennis Spin Awards. Up next: the biggest upsets of the year -- a couple of underdogs that really found a way to shine against the toughest of opponents.

And to see all of the winners this year and in years past, click here.

The Best of 2020 -- The Winners

Okay, we've come to the end of my list highlighting some of the outstanding performances we saw on the tennis courts before play was cut short just about a month ago. We've seen some breakthroughs, some trailblazers, and some new faces, and today I pay tribute to a couple players -- one veteran and one rising star -- who have really taken the game by storm this year.

But before I reveal the winners, here are some headlines that have crossed since my last post.

• Former USTA president Katrina Adams revealed she tested positive for COVID-19
• The Rogers Cup officially put off its men's and women's events until next year
• We got a first look at some of the players who'll take part in the Mutua Madrid Open's groundbreaking virtual tournament
• The ATP and WTA teamed up to launch Tennis United, hosted by Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Vasek Pospisil
• Roger Federer ignited a wall-tennis frenzy with his #TennisAtHome challenge

The Men: Gael Monfils

Age: 33
Current Ranking: #9
Title(s): Rotterdam, Montpellier (just this year!)

The showy Frenchman is no stranger to the spotlight and has been one of the real workhorses of our game for over a decade -- he first broke into the top ten in 2009! And while he's had some ups and downs, even falling into the triple digits for some time back in 2013, he's really seemed to find new life in recent months. After a fourth round exit at the Australian Open, he stormed his way to the title in Montpellier, kept his momentum going for another in Rotterdam where he didn't drop a set, and even pushed Novak Djokovic in the Dubai semifinals before his win streak finally ended at twelve.

Believe it or not, this is the first time he's ever won more than two titles in a season, and while it's looking increasingly likely that he snuck those in just under the gun, his somewhat uncharacteristic consistency could well be something he carries with him when play gets back underway. Call it what you will -- a renewed inspiration for the game, a little extra push from his equally talented girlfriend -- but it sure seems like the best of Monfils may still be to come.

The Women: Elena Rybakina

Age: 20
Current Ranking: #17
Title(s): Hobart

I've extolled the outstanding performance we've seen from the young Kazakh before, but it bears repeating. After starting the year ranked outside the top 30, she was on court week after week (after week) this season to slice that number to bits. She kicked off 2020 making two finals in a row, earning a title in Hobart, and after Melbourne -- really the only event where she hasn't gone deep -- she made the finals in St. Petersburg and Dubai too, scoring wins over Karolina Pliskova and Sofia Kenin along the way. She finally ran out of steam in Doha, pulling out before her third round against Ashleigh Barty, but given her jam-packed schedule that's really no surprise.

To that point, I had been worried she was in danger of burning out, but hopefully this forced hiatus will give her the opportunity to regroup, recharge, and come back on court in a few months swinging big. And when she does, I don't think it'll be long before she starts shaving a couple more spots off her ranking.

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Thanks for hanging out with me for by "Best of 2020" list! And while you're at it, check out who else made the cut here!

And while this list may be over, #TennisAtHome isn't! Here's today's moment:

A challenge to all tennis players and fans... The 💯 volley challenge. There was no bickering during the filming of the video 🙄, although I think the last volley was aimed at my head... I can't be the only one that wants to see Rog and Mirka hitting a few balls together...🎾 pic.twitter.com/c0lMnNuSSQ

— Andy Murray (@andy_murray) April 9, 2020

Nose to the Grindstone

With just about a week left to go at this year's French Open, we're getting to the point where the stakes are at their highest. Favorites have been tested and many have gotten through, young upstarts have kept their streaks going despite the odds -- but with just a few more matches for each remaining contender, this is exactly when they need to dig deep and bring their best.

The ladies' top seed Serena Williams has certainly been pushed during her first few matches in Paris -- she dropped the opening set to young Anna-Lena Friedsam and got down a set and a couple breaks to rival Victoria Azarenka in the third round. And while she so often finds a way to turn up the juice in the back half of the Majors, there are nevertheless a few wildcards in her half of the draw that could cause some trouble. Sloane Stephens, of course, who stunned her a few years ago in Australia and took out her sister here, is the most immediate threat, and Petra Kvitova who gave Serena her only loss of the year so far in Madrid seems to have recovered well after an early struggle. Even Timea Bacsinszky, who's had a pretty nice run this year could pose some trouble to the elite. But the bigger stories in this half may be the lesser-knowns -- young Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck who'd only won one match at a Slam in her short career had a solid win over my dark horse Kristina Mladenovic in her last match, and completely unheralded Andreea Mitu, barely in the top hundred, stunned both red-hot Karolina Pliskova and former champion Francesca Schiavone already. The two meet for a spot in the quarters today, easily the biggest moment of either of their careers so far -- and an amazing opportunity to really make a statement.

The bottom half of the women's draw has also seen its share of upsets, starting with the shocking loss of last year's finalist Simona Halep in the second round. But it didn't stop there, of course. Earlier today defending champion Maria Sharapova, fresh off her third title in Rome took out thirteenth seeded Lucie Safarova, whose best performance on clay this season was a quarterfinal showing in Madrid, where she didn't beat anyone in the top forty. But the #2 Czech brought her A-game against Sharapova, and in just under two hours pulled off one of the biggest wins of her career. And she's far from the only surprise quarterfinalist in this section -- Garbiñe Muguruza, who pulled off the upset of this tournament last year, and former Junior champion Elina Svitolina have both outplayed their rankings. And maybe, encouragingly, the even bigger surprise is the performance of long-ago titleist Ana Ivanovic, who'd lost early in most of her warm-up events this year. Despite some tests, she's survived even a challenge from a strong Ekaterina Makarova, and with a 6-0 record against Svitolina has a good shot at her first Major semi since 2008.

The men's draw, expectedly, has seen fewer big upsets, but with four Grand Slam champions in the mix, it sure seems like things are about to get combative. Nine-time champion Rafael Nadal may not be the on-paper favorite this year, but even as a low-for-him sixth seed, the rest of the field has to be nervous. He hasn't dropped a set yet during his first three matches, even taking out fellow clay specialist Nicolas Almagro in just over two hours. Later today he'll face doubles star Jack Sock, who's playing his first Major singles fourth round ever -- and while the young American has already pulled off quite an impressive upset this event, you have to give Rafa the edge here. That could set up a surprising quarterfinal showdown between the Spaniard and world #1 Novak Djokovic, who's lost to Nadal in his last three outings at Roland Garros. It would be the earliest meeting between the two rivals since 2007 and given their recent history, might just change the entire course of this tournament. Nole isn't the only one who could take advantage of that, though -- former finalist David Ferrer and even Andy Murray, riding a nice two-title streak on clay himself, have both been impressive in their early matches. Both are leading their opponents so far today and could very well give even the heavy favorites trouble down the road.

And with so much in-fighting going on in the top half of the men's bracket, it could be the relatively less intimidating bottom group that thrives most. That's not to say there are no threats in this part of the draw, of course -- U.S. Open runner-up Kei Nishikori has been pretty surgical in his wins so far in Paris, not dropping a set yet, albeit without having faced a seed either, and Stan Wawrinka last year's winner in Melbourne has had a similarly easy time, yesterday dismantling a talented Gilles Simon in straight sets. But you can't help but feel it's the rest of the players in this section who have the bigger opportunity -- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who missed the early part of this season with injury, cemented his return with a dismantling win over fourth seeded Tomas Berdych and now faces Nishikori for a chance to return to the semis. And Roger Federer, currently trying to survive what could turn out to be another massive battle with Gael Monfils, seems well motivated in his quest for a second title here. He is the only other man in the field with a French Open trophy, after all, and is hungry to end a long -- again, for him -- Major-less streak. But the feisty Frenchman is certainly putting up a fight, and with wins in their last two meetings certainly has what it takes to come back from his current two-sets-to-one down. And any of these guys could stand a real opportunity at putting up a fight when they reach the final.

As we come down to the wire over the next few days, each shot these guys and girls hit becomes so much more important. And with so much on the line in Paris, they better make sure they're focused on the goal. After all, even the underdogs have the chance to make history here. And this year, maybe more than ever before, could be their best chance to do it.

A Few Tense Moments

This was not shaping up to be a good day for the favorites on Court Central in Monte Carlo.

With many of the top seeds getting their first taste of this season's clay court action, it's understandable that a few faltered a bit at the outset. And with some of the early action today, fans may have wondered if there was a bit of a curse on the Masters' main stage.

It started with defending champion Stan Wawrinka's third round match. The seventh seed has lost a little of the momentum he'd gained last year -- despite picking up titles in Chennai and Rotterdam, he's also notched losses to world #59 Sergiy Stakhovsky and triple-digit ranked Robin Haase this season. This week he opened with a solid win over clay specialist Juan Monaco, but had a tougher time today against also-struggling Grigor Dimitrov -- the big-hitter hasn't won more than one match at any event since the Australian Open. But the Bulgarian was back on his game today -- in less than an hour, he kept Wawrinka under fifty percent on serve, saved all six break points he faced and allowed his opponent just three games. It was the Swiss's earliest exit in Monte Carlo since 2010, but it was far from the biggest upset of the day.

That came shortly after when second seed Roger Federer took the court against recent nemesis Gael Monfils. The Frenchman, who came oh-so-close to beating the legend last year in New York, regrouped for an important win in the Davis Cup final, but has been mostly silent this year. He made a loud statement on Thursday, though -- taking advantage of a spate of errors from the four-time finalist, Monfils got the early lead in the first set and held on in the tiebreak for the second. The win keeps Roger waiting at least a year longer for one of the few Masters titles that continues to elude him and further widened the hole in the bottom half of the men's draw. Monfils will face off against Dimitrov next, and while neither are the highest ranked player still alive -- that honor goes to fourth seed Milos Raonic -- both made pretty good cases for themselves to sneak even further through the bracket.

Given what had happened on center court already today, you couldn't help but think even eight-time champion Rafael Nadal might be vulnerable. The undisputed King of Clay has had his own issues this year, losing a nail-biter to Fabio Fognini in the Rio semis and then falling to compatriot Fernando Verdasco early in Miami. And, of course, let's not forget that stunning upset at the hands of Michael Berrer in Doha. But this court is where he's arguably most at home, and many considered it his opportunity to turn a disappointing season back around. But even he was pushed today -- after surviving a tight tiebreak in his opening set against a recently resurgent John Isner, he dropped serve in the second and was forced into a decider. Ultimately Nadal was able to clinch the only break in the third set, securing the win after more than two hours of play -- but with more than a few scares, he'll have to raise his game the next time he's on court if he wants to return to the throne in Monte Carlo.

The only former champ to skate by on Thursday was Novak Djokovic. The man who dethroned Rafa in 2013 is riding quite a win streak -- he's won thirteen straight matches and crowns at the last three Masters he's played. The top seed in Monte Carlo, Nole lost just five games in his opener against Albert Ramos and today needed just fifty-six minutes to dispatch Casablanca semifinalist Andreas Haider-Maurer. Next up he faces U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, back in action after his own injury absence -- and with a 14-0 record against the Croat, you have to like his chances to keep his momentum going. Of course, just because the gremlins that seemed to haunt today's early matches seem to have cleared out in the afternoon, doesn't mean they won't be back in the next few days. And with so many surprises already this week there's no telling how many more are still in store.

A Long History: Davis Cup First Round Preview

Is it just me, or do the pairings for some of this weekend's Davis Cup ties seem to hold a little more historic significance than usual? Whether the battles bfacring up political tensions, reminders of centuries-old imperialism, or long-standing rivalries, you can't help but feel this weekend won't be the first time a couple of these combatants have faced off.

Germany vs. France

The two euro zone superpowers have a long political and economic history with each other as they jockeyed for control of the Continent, and things could get just as exciting on the tennis courts this weekend. Both teams are bringing their best, but despite homecourt advantage the Germans might find themselves struggling. Top ranked Philipp Kohlschreiber has only won two matches this year, both against sub-#90 players. And Benjamin Becker hasn't done much better, scoring a nice upset of Julien Benneteau in Melbourne, but failing to rebound from a long second round against Lleyton Hewitt a match later. Meanwhile, while the French are missing top dog Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, they do have both Marseille finalists Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils to helm their squad. Simon, who beat his compatriot for the title, also has a win over Andy Murray under his belt this year. With results like that, they'll have a pretty good shot at making a run back to the final.

Great Britain vs. U.S.

Over in Scotland the Americans will make another bid to get out from under British reign, and they may have had the firepower to do it. While big-serving John Isner has fallen a bit off the highs of his game recently, once-struggling Donald Young seems to have re-found his. After briefly falling out of the top two hundred in 2013, he's clawed his way back to relevance, reaching at least the quarters of three events already this year. It's been a while since he's beaten anyone in the top twenty, though, but he might have the momentum to change that this weekend. Of course world #5 Andy Murray will be standing in both their ways -- but the Australian Open runner-up has lost to both Gilles Simon and emerging star Borna Coric in recent weeks and notched a loss to Young in Indian Wells a few years back. Still, he's more than capable of carrying the team on his own. It may ultimately come down to the doubles rubbers and there the U.S. could rely heavily on its beacon Bryan Brothers -- the twins picked up their 106^th title together in Delray and have clinched wins for their country on more than one occasion. There's no reason they can't do it again.

Argentina vs. Brazil

We're probably more used to seeing the South American soccer heavyweights face off on a different kind of battleground, but this weekend they'll concentrate instead on the clay courts. And while the surface certainly suits both teams, it's hard to give either one a clear edge. Argentina has the stronger roster on paper, but they are missing their big guns -- former world #4 Juan Martin Del Potro is still recovering from wrist surgery while Juan Monaco, last week's finalist in Buenos Aires, is sitting out this tie. The Brazilians, meanwhile, are bringing their best, but their top player Joao Souza is only just peaking at #75, and Thomaz Bellucci, once so close to the top twenty, hasn't had too many big wins over the last year. The Argentines do bring Leonardo Mayer, one of the more underrated players in the sport, and Diego Schwartzman, who won the year-end Challengers' title last season -- the Brazilians counter with a couple highly-ranked doubles players in Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares. At the end of the day Buenos Aires might provide a slight homecourt advantage, but it could go all the way down to the wire.

Serbia vs. Croatia

The two former Yugoslavian states faced off once before at Davis Cup, with the Serbs winning handily 4-1, and this time might not be much different. The Croats are still without their big star, U.S. Open champ Marin Cilic who continues to recover from a shoulder injury, and are instead led by young Borna Coric. That's not so bad, though -- the eighteen year old beat Rafael Nadal last year in Basel and is fresh off a win over Andy Murray in Dubai. At a career-high #61 in the world, he might just be able to add one more top-ten scalp to his take. Still you have to give a strong edge to the Serbs, who bring world #1 Novak Djokovic and rapidly rebounding Viktor Troicki to the mix. The former followed up a title in Melbourne with a run to the final in the UAE, while the latter picked up his first title since 2010 as a qualifier in Sydney. Add to that Nenad Zimonjic who, at thirty-eight years of age, is still a solid force on the doubles circuit and it's tough to see the home team having too much trouble.

Belgium vs. Switzerland

Of course not all the match-ups this weekend are so fraught with historical undertones, but everyone still has parts to play. The traditionally neutral Swiss are likely to remain typically unbiased this weekend, event as they should be mounting a defense of their first ever Davis Cup title. Roger Federer decided to sit out the 2015 season, while fellow top-tenner Stan Wawrinka, who's also skipping this weekend's action, has yet to decide whether he'll play later in the year. That leaves a host of relative unknowns to make any kind of stand for Switzerland -- the highest ranked player is #292 Yann Marti. That could give Belgian's comeback kid David Goffin an opportunity to make up for some recently lackluster results -- he's lost twice in a row to veteran Marcos Baghdatis and has only gotten past the second round of one event this year. Even Steve Darcis, who notched his biggest career win over Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon two years ago, could step up to the plate and notch a couple wins off the Challengers' circuit this year.

Czech Republic vs. Australia

Meanwhile the Czechs will try to reclaim the crown they ceded to the Swiss last year, but they too might have a bit of trouble. While rising star Jiri Vesely and one-time giant killer Lukas Rosol could certainly deliver, they are without their biggest stars, Melbourne semifinalist Tomas Berdych and doubles specialist Radek Stepanek. And the men from Down Under could take advantage of those holes -- players like Sam Groth and a resurgent Bernard Tomic have been rallying of late. And while veteran Lleyton Hewitt is far from his career highs, he's more than proven he can never be counted out. With a little more star power on the Aussies' side, they could stop the Czech's comeback cold.

Canada vs. Japan

We could see some fireworks in the match-up between a couple countries that haven't had a lot of experience in Davis Cup. Canada and Japan have combined for just a dozen years in the World Group -- but in this rematch of last year's first round they're both out to prove they belong. Kei Nishikori climbed to a career high #4 in the world after reaching the final in Acapulco and is coming off what's easily been the most prolific twelve months of his career. He'll be joined by Tatsumo Ito, who beat Stan Wawrinka last year in Tokyo and might be primed for another upset. The Canadians are slightly more armed, though -- Milos Raonic has always had tough matches against Nishikori, but he won their last meeting in Brisbane in three tight tiebreaks. And he'll have back-up from Vasek Pospisil, a man who's beaten John Isner already this season and made a nice run to the Washington semis last year. He's also an accomplished doubles player and might just be called on, with veteran star Daniel Nestor, to serve as a ringer.

Kazakhstan vs. Italy

And in the final tie being contested this weekend, a relatively inexperienced Kazakh team goes up against the long-time also-rans. The Italians have a lot to be proud of -- Andreas Seppi scored an enormous win over Roger Federer at the Australian Open, Simone Bolelli stunned Milos Raonic in Marseill and recently struggling Fabio Fognini pulled off a huge upset of defending champion Rafael Nadal in Rio. While none of these players is quite at their best, they certainly seem to have a little momentum on their side. There could be some surprises this weekend -- Andrey Golubev did take out Stan Wawrinka last year in Davis Cup and veteran Mikhail Kukushkin has had his moments in the past -- but this is really Italy's battle to lose. And there's no reason they shouldn't live up to expectations.

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Whether this weekend's Davis Cup ties rekindle old rivalries or start to flame new ones, there's more than enough potential for some combative contests. And whoever emerges as the victors will have to recover quick -- this is just the beginning of what could be a long, drawn-out war.

Taking Charge

While many of the sport's top players have used the past couple weeks to transition to clay, there was still plenty of action to be had on the hard courts. And the champions crowned this weekend took to the surface in dominating style and made some pretty big statements about what we should expect from them the rest of this season.

The draw in Delray Beach got cracked wide open quickly this week with top seed Kevin Anderson, a finalist last week in Memphis, only getting one win down in Florida and big-serving John Isner losing his opening match in straight sets. The lack of on-paper star power may have cleared the way for some -- Donald Young, on a disheartening downward spiral not that long ago, took out a talented Alexandr Dolgopolov on the way to his first Tour-level final since 2011. But he ran into a super force named Ivo Karlovic on Sunday -- the veteran Croat is one of the most over-looked players out there, but he made runs to four championship matches in 2014 and kicked of this season by winning his first. With thirteen aces and three breaks of his opponent's serve, Karlovic got the win in just over an hour, scoring his sixth career title, just his third on hard courts. But with such decisive performances all week, he might just be adding more to that kitty soon.

The players in Marseille also got a little bit of a pass -- Milos Raonic was stunned in his opening round by sub-fifty Simone Bolelli while recent Grand Slam titleist Stan Wawrinka couldn't come back against some-time giant killer Sergiy Stakhovsky in the quarters. Even defending champion Ernests Gulbis continued to struggle, remaining winless this year after a loss to Jeremy Chardy. That paved the way for two Frenchmen to make the trip to Sunday's final -- Gael Monfils, who hadn't so far kept pace with his performances from last year notched his second straight upset over Roberto Bautista Agut during his campaign, and Gilles Simon, who won the title here way back in 2007, made his way through the draw without facing another seed. But even though he was challenged throughout the week, dropping sets to both Stakhovsky and young Borna Coric, he was able to stay strong on Sunday, withstanding an ugly middle set to notch the win in a deciding tiebreak. It was his first title since 2013, but maybe more importantly for the thirty-year-old, shows he's still more than relevant at the big matches.

Simona Halep, on the other hand, is only just starting to show us what she's got. Last year's French Open finalist is coming off a career-making year and kicked off the 2015 season by winning her ninth career title in Shenzhen. She might not have gotten quite as far as she wanted at the Australian Open, but this week in Dubai she may have made up for that -- taking the top seed after Serena Williams pulled out of the event, Halep ended Daniela Hantuchova's comeback and then avenged her Melbourne loss to Ekaterina Makarova in the quarters. Against an inspired Karolina Pliskova in Saturday's final -- the Czech hadn't faced a player outside the top forty all week and caused upsets of Ana Ivanovic and compatriot Lucie Safarova along the way -- she kept her head again. Despite being broken four times, being out-served and under-faulted, she came out on top in two tight sets, adding the second truly high-profile trophy to her mantel. And it may give her just the push she needs to really deliver when it counts the most.

There's still a little time left before tennis stars make a real shift onto the clay, and this week's events gave us a good idea of what we might see in the weeks to come. And if this weekend's champions can take charge again, there's no reason we won't be seeing more of them on the winners' stands.

Up and at 'Em!

You may relish what seems like a short break after the Australian Open, but there's really no time to relax for the players, is there? And especially for those who didn't make it quite as far as they would have liked in Melbourne, this first week of action is a huge opportunity to redeem themselves. So it's no surprise so many got right back to work even after all the excitement we saw Down Under.

A slew of clay court specialists made their way to the inaugural Ecuador Open in Quito with Feliciano Lopez, who slunk his way through the early rounds at the Aussie, taking the top seed. But a couple others didn't have quite as much luck as the Spaniard the last few weeks and will want to rebound -- Martin Klizan fell one match short of his mini-Cinderella run from last year and retired in the fourth set of his second round. He'll open today against Daniel Gimeno-Traver, a man who's coming off a Challenger's title in Colombia. The Slovakian lost the pair's only previous meeting, but they've never faced off at the ATP level so things could be much different this time. And last year's young standout Dusan Lajovic came so close to a first round win in Melbourne this year but ultimately lost to one-time giant-killer Sergiy Stakhovsky in their three and a half hour match. The Serb opened his South American campaign with a win over little-known Italian Luca Vanni and gets a slight pass next facing qualifier Nicolas Jarry, #219 in the world. While his road will certainly get tougher after that, the twenty-four year old might just seize the chance to make a deep run here.

The field is a little more stacked over in Zagreb where so far Andreas Seppi has successfully followed up with his monster Melbourne upset, surviving a squeaker versus Robin Haase in his opener, and comeback kid Viktor Troicki, who fell short of my expectations for him in Australia, toughed out a challenge from qualifier Illya Marchenko in his first round. But perhaps a bit more interesting will be the fortunes of former world #8 Mikhail Youzhny, who didn't put up much of a fight at all against Rafael Nadal Down Under. But he's finally won his first two matches of the year this week, earlier today trouncing Stakhovsky in straight sets to make the quarters. And Marcos Baghdatis, who proved he's not out of the mix yet, getting to the final in Happy Valley and stunning David Goffin at the Open, took Grigor Dimitrov to five sets in their third round. He'll face off against one of my Aussie dark horses, Ivo Karlovic, this afternoon and if he can manage an upset over the top seed, there's no reason he can't go even farther.

The stars are shining even brighter in Montpellier where homegrown Gael Monfils, a shocker last year both in the Davis Cup final and the U.S. Open quarters, is looking to redeem himself from a second-round exit in Melbourne at the hands of Jerzy Janowicz. The Pole on the other hand, who lost immediately after beating the Frenchman, survived six match points in his opener this week, just eking out the win over a talented Dustin Brown. The fifth seed at the Open Sud sets up a meeting against another man looking for resurrection, Benoit Paire, but if he can pass the test he might be back on the right track. But the most intriguing match might just be a battle between the generations. Two-time Major semifinalist Richard Gasquet got two easy wins in Australia before receiving a similar drubbing from big-serving Kevin Anderson in the first round, while twenty-year-old Lucas Pouille lost a squeaker to Monfils in his opener. Still looking to crack the top hundred, he is the clear underdog, but if he puts up a fight we could see more than a few sparks fly here.

All of these guys got a pretty early wake up call at the Australian Open, and it didn't take them long to get right back to work. Hopefully a quick turnaround will keep them wide awake for the rest of the year -- after all, it's still so early in the season that anything can happen.

Net Non-Neutrality

Historically the Swiss have not taken sides in most world conflicts. But this year on the tennis courts the entire country was out to make a statement -- not only do they have some of the best individual soldiers in the world, but their whole team is capable of winning the war.

It had been a while since Switzerland and France have had a ton of success at Davis Cup -- though the latter got to the final in 2010, they haven't come away with the trophy since 2001. And the former, who've largely been left out of the World Group enitrely, had only made the last round once, losing pretty handily to the U.S. way back in 1992. But with two players in the top five, the long-time also-ran finally breaking through on the big stage, and the even-longer time Head of State storming back to the top of the game, the Swiss came to this weekend's championship tie on a mission.

In what started out as a predictably close showdown, Stan Wawrinka opened against an always-tough Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a man whose career has been remarkably similar to his own. The Australian Open champ slightly lagged in their head-to-head, but was just coming off his second semifinal run in London, reclaiming the momentum he'd had to start the year. For the first time in the pair's head-to-head, a decider wasn't needed to determine the winner -- Wawrinka lost serve just once in the two-and-a-half, four-set match and gave his country the early lead.

But in a rematch of one of the most exciting matches of the year, France's Gael Monfils was able to pull his homeland even -- against Roger Federer, taking the court again after pulling out of the year-end final a week ago, this time he didn't let a two-set lead slide from his grasp. The world #19 scored just his third win over the great Fed in a surprisingly quick, decidedly one-sided second rubber, giving the French a lot of hope going into the weekend.

Unfortunately for them, though, the Swiss turned the tables back in their favor on Saturday and never looked back. The 2008 Olympic Gold Medal team of Federer and Wawrinka subbed in for the doubles rubber against Richard Gasquet and London semifinalist Julien Benneteau and chugged through a tight three sets to retake the lead. Roger took the court again on Sunday, seemingly no longer affected at all by his back problems, and this time demolished Gasquet and clinched the win for the Swiss, putting their names in one of the only record books they hadn't occupied before.

For the stars on the Swiss team -- who delivered not just this weekend, but at ties all year long -- it was a historic victory that appropriately capped off an amazing season for not just individual players, but for each of then together. And with their momentum going so strong for so long, you can bet they'll be back in the new year, firing on all cylinders again.

Davis Cup Final Preview: Tensions Running High

A lot has been said about the little spat between Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka after their semifinal battle in London last weekend. But even as both players have put to rest rumors of any hard feelings that may have existed, there's plenty of pressure on everyone as we head into this weekend's Davis Cup championship tie. The Swiss are going for their first ever trophy while the homecourt-advantage French are looking for title #10, but their first since 2001. And we'll be treated to some banner match-ups from the start.

Wawrinka opens play Friday against former world #5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who declined an alternate spot to the World Tour Finals to focus on exactly this match. The Frenchman has a slight edge in their head-to-head, but every one of the pair's five meetings have gone the distance, including their two Roland Garros encounters which combined for ten sets, three tiebreaks and more than eight hours of play. Tsonga's been a little quiet since the U.S. Open and Wawrinka did somewhat redeem his late-season slump at the O2, but with these guys' history, I'd expect this to a be a battle too.

But the rubber everyone will be watching Friday will certainly be the rematch between Roger and Gael Monfils. Federer, you're remember, narrowly eked out a win over the big-time showman in New York, coming back from two sets and a break down in the quarterfinals before powering through for the win. LeMonf has only played a couple events since then, but he has conquered threats like Jerzy Janowicz and John Isner, so seems more than match ready. And Roger, despite a run to the final at the year-end championships, is still contending with the back injury that forced him out of the title match in London. It took a couple days before he was able to get back on court and, if he's not a hundred percent, Monfils is more than capable of exploiting any weakness.

Of course everything could get wrapped up by Saturday in the doubles rubber. Julien Benneteau and Richard Gasquet, both accomplished on the singles circuit themselves, will take on the much lesser-known Swiss team of Marco Chiudinelli and Michael Lammer. But something tells me the matches on Day Two will both be crucial to this weekend's outcome. In the early rubber we'll get a rematch of the Toronto final in which Tsonga stunned Fed after already beating not one, not two, but three top ten players in a row. The pair have put on some classic displays in the past, and the Frenchman has walked away the winner on a couple big stages. He might still trail Roger in their overall history, but expect him to step up to the plate again when so much is on the line.

And the potential final rubber between Wawrinka and Monfils could be just as exciting. The two don't have a long history -- they've met every couple years, but not since 2011 and have split their four previous meetings. The Swiss might be the on-paper favorite in this one, but again he's notched some surprising losses in the final weeks of the regular season -- to Mikhael Kukushkin in Basel, Tatsumo Ito in Tokyo -- and could find himself a little vulnerable at the hands of his opponent. Gael may not have won a title since very early in the season, but he's got three top-ten wins on his résumé this year and might just be primed to add number four to that list.

The last couple Davis Cup championships have all gone down to the wire, and I wouldn't expect any less this weekend. With history on the line and so much talent on the courts, you know everyone's going to power through any obstacle they face. And whoever comes out the winner will have certainly earned their spoils.

A Sign of the Times

Davis Cup always seems a little strange to me -- so often top stars skip ties due to scheduling conflicts or training needs, leaving lower-ranked players to carry the mantle for their countries, or nations with just a few athletes in the elite ranks can't fill out the rest of their roster to guarantee reliable rubber wins. But more recently the tide has shifted to recognize both the strongest players and their homelands -- either Spain or Serbia, who've claimed the year-end #1 ranking in five of the last six seasons, has made the Davis Cup final every year since 2008. And while the Czechs beat them out the last two times, it was with a team led by top ten players like Tomas Berdych and doubles specialist Radek Stepanek.

And this year, maybe more than others in recent memory, the highest-flying players of the season have successfully shown they come from places where it's not just about one star player, but a deep cadre of top-notch talent.

The French had actually been flying a bit under the radar in 2014, picking up just two titles on the year. But they've really stepped up their game in recent months -- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga made his return to the top ten with a title in Toronto, while Gael Monfils, who picked up his first trophy in three years in February, very nearly defeated Roger Federer in New York, what would have been the biggest win of his career. And against the two-time defending Czech champions, even recently struggling Richard Gasquet, who couldn't defend semifinal points from his 2013 U.S. Open run, stepped up to the plate. The 2010 runners-up got off to an early lead and clinched the win with a doubles victory Saturday, adding some fresh blood to the finals -- but the real test is still to come.

The Swiss may have been playing in their first Davis Cup semifinal since 2003, but with a couple of individually dominant players leading the way, it's a little surprising it took so long to get there. Roger Federer picked up his twenty-second Masters crown in Cincinnati last month and fell just short of his eighteenth Major at Wimbledon earlier in the summer. And compatriot Stan Wawrinka stormed onto the scene with his first Slam in Melbourne, climbing to a career high #3 in the world after his win. While both fell short of expectations in New York, they rallied big time to create an early 2-0 lead over a strong Italian team this weekend and, though Wawrinka fell just short of securing the tie in a nearly four-hour doubles loss, Federer pulled off an east win over world #17 Fabio Fognini, granting his team entry to its first final since 1992.

From a ranking perspective the Swiss will certainly be at an advantage in November's tie, but this could be a tougher battle than we expect -- Federer, after all, lost to Tsonga in Canada and nearly, too, to Monfils in Flushing Meadows, while Wawrinka hasn't beaten a top ten player since April. But that's just the kind of drama we've come to expect on the tennis courts this year -- the world's best players being pushed to the limit from every angle imaginable. And whoever eventually goes home with this year's Davis Cup trophy will have cemented themselves -- and their entire team -- as the true force in this sport for the season.

Separated at Birth: U.S. Open & Summer Stars

It's been a while since my last "Separated at Birth" post, and with the surge of new talent emerging on the tennis scene in recent months, and especially at the U.S. Open, I thought it might be time for an update.

After all, while these players may be rising to new heights in the sport, you can't help but feel like you've seen them somewhere before.

In Mirjana Lucic-Baroni's case, that time came over a decade ago. The 1999 Wimbledon semifinalist and 1998 Australian doubles champ had been out of the game for years, battling personal and financial problems and contending with an abusive father. She returned to WTA plan in the late 2000s, but only won a handful of Slam matches since then and had lost eight straight matches coming into the U.S. Open. She was ranked just #121 in the world, but managed to qualify for the main draw and took out two of the biggest stars of the year in early rounds. And it wasn't just her high quality of play that served as a callback to nineties -- hopefully her Comeback is just starting.

Aleksandra Krunic is a little newer on the scene, but the U.S. Open qualifier -- her only WTA-level win before New York came in Bucharest over then-#131 Alexandra Panova -- had an amazing run of her own over the past two weeks. She held tough against twenty-seventh seed Madison Keys in the second round and then stunned New Haven and Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova a match later. In her first ever Major fourth round, she came back from a big deficit against two-time runner-up Victoria Azarenka and very nearly won the match. Her stealth performance was almost as impressive as certain girl with a dragon tattoo.

A couple other ladies who made a mark in Flushing Meadows bare resemblances less to Hollywood stars than to erstwhile tennis champions, some of whom are not at all far removed from the sport. Monica Puig, the highest ever ranked player from Puerto Rico, has certainly been making a name for herself this year, winning her first career title in Strasbourg last May and taking Andrea Petkovic to three tough sets at the Open. But even in the promo posters hanging all over the New York subways this week, I kept mistaking her for a recent Hall of Famer who actually made it all the way to this year's doubles final.

And former Junior #1 Belinda Bencic, the youngest teenager in the top hundred, made a big push into the women's circuit with a run to the quarters this fortnight. Wins over Angelique Kerber and Jelena Jankovic propelled her to #33 in the world, a stone's throw from being seeded during next year's Slam season. Perhaps the seventeen-year-old standout is well on her way to a career that rivals another young phenom, 2009's Newport inductee.

First time Slam semifinalist Ekaterina Makarova also put together the event of her career, first withstanding the blistering heat to take out seventh seed Genie Bouchard, the most consistent performer at the Majors this year, and then powering through former world #1 Victoria Azarenka in the quarters. Though she couldn't repeat her big upset of Serena in the final four, she did ride her momentum to a career-high #15 in the work and took home her second Slam doubles title to boot. Her performance isn't unlike another record-holding champion -- one who also excelled in both the singles and doubles games.

There were a couple almost-twins on the men's side as well. David Goffin had one of the best summers of his career, putting together a twenty-five match win streak after Wimbledon, picking up his maiden ATP trophy, and winning his first Major matches in over two years. He's probably more comfortable on the courts than on the red carpet, but he sure could pass for a younger version of a Parenthood and Six Feet Under star.

Nick Kyrgios has had a little more success at the Slams this year, stunning Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon and upsetting Mikhail Youzhny in his New York opener. He had a big lead on Tommy Robredo in the third round, too, ultimately falling short, but like another grass court specialist with a funky haircut, something tells me we've only just started to see what he can do.

Gael Monfils has really been mounting a comeback this season, winning his first title since 2011 in Montpellier and climbing to his highest ranking in two years after his U.S. Open run. He so very nearly reached the semifinals in Flushing Meadows, holding a two-set-to-love lead and match points against Roger Federer -- what would have been his best Slam showing since 2008. The question now is whether his look-alike will see a similar resurrection in his career.

While these guys all reached new highs in New York, 2011 champion Novak Djokovic fell a little short of expectations. Titleless since winning the Wimbledon crown to start the summer, the top seed got through the early rounds barely breaking a sweat, but was upset in the semis by an Energizer Bunny named Kei Nishikori. Still you can't ignore how much his game, and his look, has evolved since the first time he was featured here -- these days he reminds me much more of another newlywed.

Of course the big story at the U.S. Open was that of unlikely champion Marin Cilic, whose defeat of three favored players in a row -- including one five-time champion -- brought him his first career Major trophy. I've racked my brain for ages trying to figure out who he resembled -- I used to think it was contemporary ATP star Gilles Simon, then I kind of saw a likeness to his new coach Goran Ivanisevic. But it wasn't until I was watching an old episode of Jeopardy! that the true nerd in me came up with the answer -- or rather, the question.

If you want to share your favorite tennis look-alikes, send me a note, and be sure to check out my other "Separated at Birth" pairs here!

A Few Familiar Faces

This year, really, has been about the next generation of tennis greats. With players like Genie Bouchard, Simona Halep and Nick Kyrgios making such big strides, it's been easy to lose track of some long trudging champions.

But this week in Cincinnati, we've seen the vets come back into the spotlight after some seemingly long absences. And they might just have what it takes to keep on going.

Sloane Stephens was long heralded as the Next Big Thing in American women's tennis, and she seemed destined to live up to that reputation when she stunned Serena Williams at the Australian Open last year. But she fell a few rounds short of the semis this time around and had only managed one top-twenty win all season, beating Ana Ivanovic in Indian Wells, while she lost to a handful of players ranked outside the top hundred. This week at the Western & Southern Open, though, she seems to have gotten her stride back -- she kicked off her campaign with a straight-set win over French Cinderella Andrea Petkovic and then took out Wimbledon standout Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. She next faces a rematch with Jelena Jankovic, the woman who beat her in Montreal just days ago, but she went three long sets in that battle and could turn the tables in her favor now that she's playing on her own homecourt.

Sabine Lisicki has also struggled since her career high last July. Consistently a threat at Wimbledon, she final reached the championship match in 2013, but didn't win more than one match at an event until Madrid this season. Even when she was breaking service records in Stanford, she was still losing matches she should have won. She also may be back on track in Cincinnati, though, taking out both Roberta Vinci and her co-#1 doubles partner Sara Errani to start the week. And like Sloane again, she'll meet her Rogers Cup vanquisher in tonight's late match -- she was the only player to take a set off Aga Radwanska last week in Montreal, and might now have the fire to go one better this time.

While these unseeded ladies have outlasted expectations already in Cincinnati, David Ferrer is looking to give himself a bit of a boost. Last year's runner-up in Paris has remained consistent this year, reaching the quarters in Australia and at Roland Garros and remaining squarely in the top ten of the ATP. But he's also suffered some surprising losses -- to Teymuraz Gabashvili in his Barcelona opener and to Andrey Kuznetsov in the second round at Wimbledon. And even when he's won, he's had a tough time doing it -- yesterday against Phillipp Kohlschreiber in Cincy, he needed three tiebreaks and nearly three hours to advance. Up next for the sixth seed is Mikhail Youzhny -- a man who's been struggling himself this year, but encouragingly followed up a win over Toronto champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga by beating Andreas Seppi on Wednesday. Ferrer has a less-than-spectacular 3-5 record against the Russian, but if he can rally for the win there's no telling what it would do for his morale.

Gael Monfils can't really ever be accused of having too little confidence, but he's struggled to come back from injury over the last several months, and success has come in fits and starts. He did claim a title early in the year and took Andy Murray to five sets in the Roland Garros quarters, but he also was dealt a early exit at the hands of Jiri Vesely at Wimbledon. Last week in Toronto he pushed Novak Djokovic to the limit, ultimately losing in the almost-three hour match, but it might have lit a fire under him for the Western & Southern -- he went three sets in his opener, but rebounded quickly to upset 2014 breakout Roberto Bautista-Agut. It's only going to get tougher from here, of course -- he'll take on Roger Federer this evening -- but Monfils actually won the pair's last meeting at the Shanghai Masters and might have the momentum to pull off another big upset.

Of course it's great when new talent crops up in the tennis world, but there's something reassuring about seeing these guys and gals hitting back so strong against the tide. They might not be the favorites in the field, but they've all scored some huge wins in the past and could certainly find the strength to do it again. And if they keep it up, things could get really interesting in the weeks to come.