Three Continents Host Tournaments: There are three tournaments on three different continents, including the first ATP World Tour 500 event of the season. World No. 7 Marin Cilic is the top seed in Rotterdam. In Buenos Aires, World No. 5 Kei Nishikori is the top seed and in the first North American tournament of the season in Memphis, World No. 18 Ivo Karlovic is the top seed. Overall, 20 of the Top 30 in the Emirates ATP Rankings are in action.

Emirates ATP Race to Milan Leaders: Six of the Top 20 in the Emirates ATP Race to Milan (as of Feb. 6) are in Rotterdam or Memphis.

View full Race to Milan standings

ABN AMRO WORLD TENNIS TOURNAMENT (Rotterdam): The top seed of the first 500 level tournament of the season is Cilic, who is making his fourth appearance in Rotterdam (8-3 record). His best result is a runner-up in 2014 (l. to Berdych). Overall eight of the Top 20 are in the field. The other seeds are: No. 2 Dominic Thiem, No. 3 David Goffin, No. 4 Tomas Berdych, No. 5 Grigor Dimitrov, No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No. 7 Roberto Bautista Agut and No. 8 Lucas Pouille.

Marin Top Seed Again: Cilic is the top seed in an ATP World Tour tournament for the 11th time in his career, the third this season. Last month he opened the season in Chennai as the top seed and lost in the 2R (after bye) to Kovalik. Last week in Montpellier he fell in the opening round (l. to Brown). The 28-year-old Croatian star has an outstanding 25-7 career record as the top seed in an ATP World Tour tournament, winning three titles and reaching two other finals:  

2017 Montpellier: 2R (bye)
2017 Chennai: 2R (bye)
2015 Moscow: Champion
2013 Memphis: QF
2013 Zagreb: Champion
2011 Zagreb: QF 
2010 Metz: QF
2010 Munich: Finalist
2010 Zagreb: Champion
2009 Vienna: Finalist

Klizan Reigning Champion: Martin Klizan, the No. 1 player from Slovakia, is the reigning champion (d. No. 18 Monfils). Last year Klizan came in ranked No. 43 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and in his final three wins, he rallied each time from losing a first set tie-break to prevail in the third set. After a 1-4 start to this season, last week in Sofia, he advanced to the quarter-finals (l. to Basilashvili).

Grigor On A Roll: No. 5 seed Grigor Dimitrov comes into Rotterdam with a career-best 14-1 match record on the season. With his defeat of David Goffin on home soil in the Sofia final, he became the first two-time ATP World Tour title winner this season. The 25-year-old Bulgarian won his fifth career ATP World Tour title in Brisbane, his first since June 2014 at Queen’s Club/London, defeating three straight Top 10 opponents: No. 8 Thiem (QF), No. 3 Raonic (SF) and No. 5 Nishikori. He then followed by reaching the semi-finals at the Australian Open where he lost to No. 9 Rafael Nadal 6-4 in the fifth set.

Berdych Making 10^th Visit: No. 4 seed Tomas Berdych is making his 10^th appearance in Rotterdam. He has a 16-7 career record, winning the title in 2014 (d. Cilic) and reaching the final in 2015 (l. to Wawrinka). He also advanced to the semi-finals in 2012 (l. to del Potro) and the quarter-finals in 2011 (w/o vs. Tsonga).

#NextGenATP Stars In Draw: There are three #NextGenATP stars in the main draw, led by top German Alexander Zverev, who is ranked No. 21.  Zverev claimed his second ATP World Tour title in Sunday’s Montpellier final (d. Gasquet). The others are No. 51 Karen Khachanov and No. 58 Borna Coric, who play each other in the first round. Zverev reached the quarter-finals last year and Coric lost in the 2R. Khachanov is making his debut. Greek wild card Stefanos Tsitsipas, 18, who finished as the No. 2 junior in the world last year, highlighted by semi-final results at Roland Garros and Wimbledon juniors, is making his ATP World Tour debut. He is ranked No. 203 after reaching a career-high No. 196 on Jan. 30.

Local Wild Cards: Two of the three wild cards in the main draw are Dutchmen, led by the country’s top player No. 57 Robin Haase, who reached the quarter-finals in 2008 (d. No. 10 Murray) and 20-year-old Tallon Griekspoor , who is at a career-high No. 315. He is making his ATP World Tour debut.

Doubles Draw: The top seeds are last year’s World No. 2 team: Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, who won last year’s title with Vasek Pospisil. The other seeds are: No. 2 Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez, No. 3 Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers and No. 4 Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo.

ARGENTINA OPEN (Buenos Aires): Latin America’s “Golden Swing” continues on the clay of Buenos Aires, as the Argentine capital welcomes back World No. 5 Kei Nishikori, who returns for the first time since 2012 when he reached the quarter-finals. Five of the Top 30 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings are in the draw. The other seeds are: No. 2 Pablo Cuevas, No. 3 David Ferrer, a three-time champion (2012-14), No. 4 Pablo Carreno Busta, No. 5 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, No. 6 Joao Sousa, No. 7 Fabio Fognini and No. 8 Paolo Lorenzi, who was runner-up in Sunday’s final in Quito (l. to Estrella Burgos).

Nishikori Top Seed: Nishikori finds himself as the top seed again in a February ATP World Tour tournament. For the past three years the Japanese star was the No. 1 seed in Memphis where he won the title each time. Overall, he won Memphis four straight years. He won his last 17 matches in Memphis and owns a 17-1 career record. In his previous Buenos Aires appearance five years ago, he came in ranked No. 17 and he lost to Wawrinka in the quarter-finals. Nishikori comes into Buenos Aires with a 6-2 match record on the season, reaching the final in Brisbane (l. to Dimitrov) and following with the 4R at the Australian Open (l. to Federer in five sets).

Spanish Title Winners: Spaniards have called Buenos Aires home since 2009, with five different players from the country winning titles. The streak ended last year with Austrian Dominic Thiem winning the title over Spaniard Nicolas Almagro. Here are the Spanish winners from 2009-15 (winners in bold in this year’s draw):

2015: Rafael Nadal
2012-14: David Ferrer
2011: Nicolas Almagro
2010: Juan Carlos Ferrero
2009: Tommy Robredo    

Ferrer Three-Time Champion: Ferrer has a 23-5 career match record in Buenos Aires, winning three straight titles from 2012-14. He was also runner-up in 2010 (l. to Ferrero). His 17-match Buenos Aires winning streak came to an end last year when he fell to Almagro in the semi-finals.

Robredo Makes Season Debut: The other former champion in the field is 2009 winner Tommy Robredo. The 34-year-old Spaniard, who is making his season debut, has a 16-5 career record in Buenos Aires. He underwent right elbow surgery in April last year.  Robredo, who is ranked No. 548, is playing on a protected ranking of No. 57. Last season he went 2-6 on the ATP World Tour and 7-5 in ATP Challenger Tour events, closing with three straight quarter-final indoor results in Budapest, Brescia and Andria.

Argentine Title Hopes: There is a tournament-high nine Argentines in the draw with one guaranteed in qualifying. The last player to win the title on home soil in Buenos Aires was David Nalbandian in 2008. No. 48 Federico Delbonis and No. 52 Diego Schwartzman are the two highest-ranked Argentines in the draw.

Doubles Draw: The top seeds are reigning champions Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah. The other seeds are: No. 2 Pablo Carreno Busta and Pablo Cuevas, No. 3 Santiago Gonzalez and David Marrero and No. 4 Julio Peralta and Horacio Zeballos.

MEMPHIS OPEN (Memphis): The first North American tournament of the season will crown a new champion for the first time since 2013 as reigning four-time champion Kei Nishikori is playing on clay in Buenos Aires for the first time since 2012, the last time the Memphis champion was not Nishikori (Jurgen Melzer). The top seed is big-serving Ivo Karlovic, who reached the final in 2014. This is the 41^st anniversary of the only U.S. indoor tournament on the ATP World Tour, which is held at the Racquet Club of Memphis. The other seeds are No. 2 John Isner, No. 3 Sam Querrey, No. 4 Steve Johnson, No. 5 Bernard Tomic, No. 6 Adrian Mannarino, No. 7 Steve Darcis and No. 8 Yen-Hsun Lu.  Darcis (2008) and Querrey (2010) are the former champions in the field.

#NextGenATP Stars In Draw: There are four American #NextGenATP stars in the draw, led by last year’s finalist Taylor Fritz (19), who climbed to a career-high No. 53 on Aug. 29 last year. He is No. 83 as of last week (Feb. 6). The other young stars on the rise are all at career-high rankings: wild cards Frances Tiafoe (19), at No. 94, Jared Donaldson (20), at No. 95 and Reilly Opelka (19), at No. 182. All four finished with their best year-end Emirates ATP Ranking last season and made big jumps from the previous year:

Querrey Streak:  Querrey is making his 11^th straight appearance in Memphis. The 29-year-old Californian has a 20-9 career record, winning singles and doubles titles in 2010. Last year he was a doubles runner-up (w/Johnson). He was also a semi-finalist in 2015-16 and quarter-finalist in 2007, ’09, ’11-12.  Querrey hasfinished in the Top 50 Emirates ATP Rankings in seven of the past nine years, ending 2010 with a year-end best No. 18. Last year he defeated No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the 3R at Wimbledon en route to his first Grand Slam quarter-final (l. to Raonic).

Towering Trio Of Power: The three tallest players on the ATP World Tour are in the main draw, led by 6’11” Karlovic and Opelka along with 6’10” Isner. In addition, 6’8” Kevin Anderson and 6’6” Querrey are in the draw. Isner led the ATP World Tour in aces last season with 1,159 followed by Karlovic with 1,131. Isner and Karlovic have combined to lead the ATP World Tour in aces in nine of the past 10 years. Karlovic is a five-time aces champion (2007-09, 2014-15) while Isner is a four-time champion (2010, ’12-13, ’16).

Big John Top American: Isner, who reached the final in 2010 (l. to Querrey), finished last season as the top American on the ATP World Tour for the fifth straight year and in the Top 20 for the seventh year in a row at No. 19. The 31-year-old Tampa resident reached finals in Atlanta (l. to Kyrgios) and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Paris (l. to Murray) and his streak of an ATP World Tour title for six years in a row ended.

Bernie Is Back: No. 2 Aussie Bernard Tomic, who reached the quarter-finals two years ago (l. to Young) in his last Memphis appearance, is making his third tournament appearance (2-2 record). The 24-year-old finished last season at No. 26 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, his second straight Top 30 season (No. 18 in 2015). He reached the final in Acapulco and the 4R at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Dreddy Time: One of the most entertaining players on the ATP World Tour, Dustin Brown returns to Memphis. The 32-year-old German, nicknamed “Dreddy” because of his dreadlocked hair, is a human highlight reel on the court. When googling “Dustin Brown YouTube, ” a full page of Brown’s amazing shots are displayed. Brown, who made his previous appearance in Memphis two years ago (2R), finished a year-end best No. 72 last season, highlighted by two semi-finals. He is coming off a quarter-final in Montpellier where he beat No. 7 Cilic in the 2R, his third career Top 10 win (first on hard courts).

Former Champion Returns: Belgian Steve Darcis, who captured his second career ATP World Tour title in Memphis in 2008 (d. Soderling), is returning to the tournament for the first time since a 1R loss in 2009 (l. to Roddick). The 32-year-old Darcis, who reached a career-high No. 44 on May 12, 2008, less than three months after his Memphis title, finished a year-end best No. 61 that year.  He has struggled with injuries over the years, finishing outside the Top 100 in 2009-10 and 2013-14. But he has finished No. 86 in 2015-16.

Anderson Looks To Rebound:  Kevin Anderson, who reached the final in his last Memphis appearance two years ago (l. to Nishikori), is trying to regain his Top 20 form in which he finished three straight years from 2013-15, highlighted by a year-end best No. 12 in ’15. He broke into the Top 10 on Oct. 12, 2015. The 30-year-old South African was sidelined by left knee, right shoulder and groin injuries last season, finishing No. 67, his lowest year-end ranking since 2009.

Doubles Draw: The top seeds are Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi, No. 2 Oliver Marach and Fabrice Martin, No. 3 Robert Lindstedt and Michael Venus, and No. 4 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Leander Paes. 

A LOOK BACK
Kunal Patel San Francisco Open (San Francisco, USA): One year ago, China had its moment in the spotlight, as native son Di Wu claimed the nation’s first ATP Challenger Tour title in Maui, USA. On Sunday, the total doubled. Behind a bevy of monster forehands and lightning-fast agility, Ze Zhang notched his maiden crown in San Francisco, overcoming Vasek Pospisil 7-5, 3-6, 6-2.

Zhang rang in the inaugural event in San Francisco with a bang, notching seven wins in eight days to lift the trophy as a qualifier, overturning an 0-3 mark in Challenger finals in his career to finally claim victory. The Nanjing native is the first qualifier winner of the year on the ATP Challenger Tour. He is projected to rise 37 spots to No. 158 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, just 10 places off his career-high.

Neville Smith Forest Products Launceston International (Launceston, Australia): Seventh seed Noah Rubin streaked to his second ATP Challenger Tour title, dominating the final 6-0, 6-1 over fellow American Mitchell Krueger. It was the fewest games played in a Challenger final since Moscow 2015.

The #NextGenATP star needed 54 minutes to emerge victorious in very windy conditions, ending a 15-month title drought since lifting his maiden crown in Charlottesville in 2015. It marks the third straight week that an Emirates ATP Race To Milan contender has lifted a Challenger trophy. Rubin, who entered the week in Launceston at No. 7 in the standings, follows No. 3 Hyeon Chung’s victory in Maui, USA, and No. 4 Omar Jasika’s win in Burnie, AUS.

Read Rubin Feature

Excited to head back home to NYC after a long and exciting time down under! See ya next year Aussie! ??? pic.twitter.com/upcy5Rm1f9

— Noah Rubin (@Noahrubin33) February 12, 2017

Hungarian Challenger Open (Budapest, Hungary): Playing with a protected ranking, former World No. 8 Jurgen Melzer turned back the clock in Budapest to capture his fourth ATP Challenger Tour title. Melzer downed Marton Fucsovics 7-6(6), 6-2 to lift his first professional trophy in more than three years, since the 2013 Winston-Salem Open.

At 35 years and eight months, the Austrian is the oldest Challenger winner since Michael Berrer (35 yrs, 9 mos.) triumphed in Leon, MEX, in March 2016. Melzer, who returned to action last year following shoulder surgery, will rise to No. 200 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Jurgen joins younger brother Gerald and Alexander Zverev and Mischa Zverev as two sets of bros. in the Top 200.

Happy!!! What a week…? #bidibadu #dunlop #stroeck #bmwpestuka pic.twitter.com/JlQQMK6DwK

— Jurgen Melzer (@jojomelzer) February 12, 2017

WHAT THE PLAYERS SAID
Rubin: “It’s been great here in Australia. A nice way to go back home and it makes the trip a little easier. Today I put together a lot of good points and thought I served very smart. I used my speed to run down some balls and I knew it was going to be tricky conditions with the wind.”

A LOOK AHEAD
Two tournaments are on the schedule next week, with Challenger La Manche in Cherbourg, France, celebrating its 31st consecutive year on the ATP Challenger Tour and the Tempe Challenger marking its inaugural edition. Jeremy Chardy leads the pack in Cherbourg, with 2014 champ Kenny de Schepper and 2015 winner Norbert Gombos in the draw. Ernesto Escobedo is the top seed in Tempe, with fellow #NextGenATP stars Stefan Kozlov and Michael Mmoh also present.

View Draws & Watch Free Live Streams

ATP CHALLENGER TOUR ON TWITTER: The ATP Challenger Tour has launched a dedicated Twitter account for the latest news and information about players and events. Follow @ATPChallengerTour at twitter.com/ATPChallengerTour

It’s been more than three weeks since Tomas Berdych struck a ball competitively, yet the significance of his loss to Roger Federer in the Australian Open third round is still sinking in.

”It was kind of a strange match for me,” admitted Berdych, a former champion at the upcoming ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. “The way he played was really incredible. I’ve played him so many times in the past. I almost want to say it was the best I’ve seen him play.”

Berdych did little wrong in the 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 loss, their 23rd FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting, because he was given no opportunity by the Swiss superstar to find his game on 20 January on Rod Laver Arena.

“I was under so much pressure, how he played. From the first point I had to defend. I didn’t know how I played, he either hit a winner or missed a shot. There was nothing in between. So it’s tough to judge how well or badly I played. I wasn’t in charge of any shot – that was quite unusual.

“After the match, I was quite positive that he could go all the way and win it. In the end, he did. I think he’s the only one who can do something like that – after a six months’ absence from tournaments and win it. It was his first tournament and he won it. With all respect, it’s amazing.”

If 35-year-old Federer can roll back the years, Berdych is hopeful he too can still improve.

Under the guidance of Luka Kutanjac and Goran Ivanisevic, who isn’t in Rotterdam this week, 31-year-old Berdych is working to re-establish himself in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings and claim the sport’s biggest prizes.

“I have been working on my service motion, since I returned from injury and sickness,” the World No. 12 said. “So it’s not been a long time, but it’s working well. I tried it a couple of times in Australia, but it was windy. I’ve been trying to make it less predictable – good for me, not for my opponents. Goran, who’ll return courtside in Indian Wells, is also trying to bring me more to the net.”

“My goal remains to win a Grand Slam. Everything in my game is there, but it needs to click together for two weeks. Federer really found a way to play well, and win, by himself.

“In the past when some players reached 31 or 32, it might have been one of their last seasons. But it isn’t any more. Tennis at the highest level sees players with their own physios and teams. It really helps and extends careers. Players are taking more breaks in between and it helps to prolong careers. I hope I can play my best tennis in the future.

“In this current era, it will remain difficult for the youngsters to break through, but I believe the best of the crop will come through regardless. The [Emirates ATP] Race to Milan, finishing with the Next Gen ATP Finals, is a new and very important event for the development of young players. It’s a new motivation for them to attain a spot and very positive for the sport.”

This week, in the familiar surrounds of the Rotterdam Ahoy, venue of the first ATP World Tour 500 tournament of the season, Berdych is hoping to build on the happy memories of successful campaigns in the Dutch city. “It’s one of the special weeks of the season, where I’ve generally had solid results. Of course, 2014 is a great memory at a traditionally very tough tournament to win. I like coming back when a tournament is doing very well for the players.”

Having beaten Marin Cilic for the 2014 title and finished runner-up to Stan Wawrinka the following year, the Czech begins his quest for a 14th ATP World Tour crown on Monday against qualifier Marius Copil.

Victor Estrella Burgos completed a dramatic three-peat on Sunday at the Ecuador Open in Quito, saving a match point against third seed Paolo Lorenzi to take the title 6-7(2), 7-5, 7-6(6). 

“It’s a great achievement for me to win three titles here,” said Estrella Burgos. “The recipe for my success here will be revealed when I retire [laughing], but for sure I’ll come back here next year. I’ll play in Quito every year until I retire.“

The victory over Lorenzi completes a truly unforgettable week for Estrella Burgos. He also saved three match points to defeat top seed Ivo Karlovic in a third-set tie-break in the second round.

Watch: A full match replay of the final

The Dominican Republican player improves to 15-0 in Quito. He’s the only player in ATP World Tour history to win at least three titles in one event and none anywhere else. Estrella Burgos also defeated Feliciano Lopez in a third-set tie-break to prevail in 2015, and beat Thomaz Bellucci in a tight three-set match in the 2016 final.

“Without any doubt, this final has been the toughest,” said Estrella Burgos. “Paolo doesn’t give away anything because he is a great fighter.”

Currently at No. 156 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, he’s the lowest-ranked singles champion since No. 192 Florian Mayer this past June in Halle. Estrella Burgos is projected to move back inside the Top 100 on Monday. He earns 250 Emirates ATP Rankings points and a cheque for $85,945.

Lorenzi drops to 1-2 in ATP World Tour finals. His lone title came this past July in Kitzbuehel. The third seed picks up 150 Emirates ATP Rankings points and leaves Quito with $45,265.

“I love playing here and I am sure I’ll be back next year,” said Lorenzi. “I loved the crowd here and how they welcomed and supported me during the whole week. I am thankful. I’m leaving with an ATP final and that’s very important for me.”

Neither player faced a break point in the opening set, but the Italian went on a six-point run in the tie-break to capture the opening set. Lorenzi grabbed the crucial opening break to start the second set and it appeared that he might run away with the contest, but Estrella Burgos fought back to even the score at 4-4. He then broke Lorenzi once more up 6-5 to level the match at one set each.

Estrella Burgos broke the Italian to take a 4-2 lead in the deciding set, but Lorenzi showed off his own tenacious spirit by breaking back in the very next game. Little separated the two players all the way through the final-set tie-break, but it was Estrella Burgos who saved a match point down 5/6 and then won the final two points to defend his crown. 

Home favourite Grigor Dimitrov continues to soar in 2017 having clinched the Garanti Koza Sofia Open title with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over David Goffin on Sunday.

It was an extra special week for Dimitrov by playing a first ATP World Tour event on home soil. His recent resurgence up the Emirates ATP Rankings, recovering from No. 40 in July 2016 to being on the cusp of the Top 10, has captivated the nation as fans flocked to support their tennis talisman.

All week his matches have been eagerly watched by ardent local support and that was no different in the final with a 12,000-strong sold out capacity cheering him on.

Watch: Dimitrov Relishes Sofia Homecoming

The Bulgarian opened his season by capturing a fifth ATP World Tour title in Brisbane, defeating three Top 10 opponents in a row, before continuing his stellar form in Sofia. The third seed had dropped just one service game all week ahead of the final and started against the World No. 11 in emphatic style.

A delicate drop volley ignited a break to surge 3-0 ahead before the Belgian restored parity. Dimitrov, the victor on both previous occasions against Goffin, was forced to save four break points in an eight-minute game at 4-4. The set seemed destined for a tie-break until Dimitrov forced Goffin into a wayward backhand to edge halfway towards the trophy.

World No.13 Dimitrov once again earned a 3-0 lead and then made it six successive games with a blistering forehand cross court winner on the stretch.

Goffin was on the brink at 0-5 but was undeterred with some brave forays towards the net. He saved three match points, as Dimitrov’s double fault count reached nine, and managed to reduce his deficit to 4-5. However, the Bulgarian broke to be crowned champion at his home tournament.

It was double delight for Alexander Zverev on Sunday at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier. Hot on the heels of winning his second ATP World Tour singles crown, the 19-year-old German paired with older brother, Mischa Zverev, to win the doubles crown.

The duo defeated second seeds Fabrice Martin and Daniel Nestor 6-4, 6-7(3), 10-7 in 86 minutes to lift the trophy at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament. It is the first ATP World Tour doubles crown for the Zverev brothers, who had finished runners-up in Munich in 2015 and in Montpellier last year.

“It was an amazing week,” said Mischa Zverev. “Congrats to my brother, winning singles and doubles for the first time. It’s always special playing doubles with him, especially playing well and winning. I’m really, really happy. I didn’t expect it.”

Zverev, who beat Richard Gasquet in the singles final, is the first player to win the singles and doubles titles at the same tournament since Lleyton Hewitt triumphed at Newport in 2014. It is also the first time a pair of brothers won the doubles title after one of them had won the singles crown since Andy Murray did the double with Jamie Murray in Tokyo six years ago.

“It’s great to win singles and doubles,” said Alexander Zverev. “I’m very happy the way we played. We only dropped one set in the tournament. I think it was a very successful tournament for the Zverevs.”

The 29-year-old Mischa Zverev collected his third ATP World Tour doubles title, nine years on from winning a pair of titles with Mikhail Youzhny in Tokyo and Halle. It is Alexander Zverev’s first doubles trophy.

Martin and Nestor enjoyed a strong debut week together. The 30-year-old Martin, who won the Doha doubles crown with Jeremy Chardy at the start of the year, dropped to a 3-5 doubles final record. Nestor, 44, was seeking his 92^nd tour-level doubles crown (91-60 finals record). 

Watch: Zverevs Train Together In Tampa

It started with a vision and spawned into something extraordinary. When Mukesh Patel and co-founders Derrik Hirschfeld and Vikram Viswanathan first conceived the idea to establish a professional tennis tournament in San Francisco, little did they know it would instantly become a premier event on the ATP Challenger Tour.

With world-class amenities and hospitality, the exuberance and passion of its founding fathers and tournament director Ross Wisser have permeated throughout the grounds of the iconic Bay Club this week. Located in the heart of the bustling metropolis, the $100,000 event has already made its mark on the circuit.

But the tournament’s significant impact extends far beyond the walls of the The Bay Club. In October 2014, Patel’s son Kunal tragically passed away from a biking accident at the age of 27. Kunal was an avid tennis fan, following the ATP World Tour religiously while spending countless hours at his local courts with friends. Only a week later, he was to depart for London with his friends to watch the ATP Finals at The O2.

Having first lifted a racquet when he was nine years old, Kunal was a gifted athlete and enthusiast of all sports, whose zest for life knew no bounds. Following his passing, parents Mukesh and Harsha and sister Monique decided to celebrate his life and love for tennis with a tournament in his name. With his energy and enthusiasm embedded in the fabric of the tournament’s identity, less than three years later the Kunal Patel San Francisco Open was founded.

“Establishing the KPSF Open and bringing top quality tennis to San Francisco is one of my proudest and most personal achievements,” said Mukesh. “Kunal was in his element on the tennis court, and an enthusiastic fan of the sport. I can’t conceive of a better way to honor my son’s legacy and I know he is rooting for this tournament’s success.”

With only five weeks between the start of preparations and the first balls being tossed, Wisser and his dedicated staff made the impossible a reality. Despite the late addition to the 2017 Challenger calendar, the tournament has made quite the splash in attracting four Top 100 players and #NextGenATP stars Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Jared Donaldson, Elias Ymer, Michael Mmoh and Reilly Opelka. Fans have taken notice, packing the stands in the thousands during the week.

From high-end catering and off-court entertainment, including a local artist painting live on-site, to exclusive amenities and a four-star hotel for players, tournament organisers have set a high standard.

“It’s been fantastic here,” Vasek Pospisil, seeded seventh, told ATPWorldTour.com. “I haven’t played too many Challengers of late, but this one is definitely up there. The crowd is great, the centre court is very nice and I had some good crowd support so I really enjoyed that.

Honestly, it’s just a great tournament. It reminds me of some indoor Canadian events and it feels like home for me. The organisation is great and facilities are awesome. Coming from ATP World Tour events, it feels very comfortable and that goes to show what a great job the tournament has done.”

The inaugural #ATPChallenger in San Francisco @kpsfopen has made an immediate splash thanks to the passion of its founders and director. pic.twitter.com/jLwZYvOSlJ

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) February 12, 2017

The Bay Club is the largest indoor tennis facility on the west coast of the United States, housing 12 indoor courts and an additional 12 rooftop courts. A balcony-style railing overlooks the four front courts, along with window seating in the cafe. A 500-seat stadium was constructed for the tournament and in addition to tennis courts, the club offers separate weight and cardio rooms, locker rooms with steam rooms and saunas and a full restaurant for players.

On Sunday, former World No. 25 Pospisil will face Chinese qualifier Ze Zhang for the title. In search of a return to the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, Pospisil will bid for his fifth ATP Challenger Tour title. Zhang, meanwhile, is seeking his first crown in his fourth final. Visit kpsfopen.com to reserve your tickets.