The #NextGenATP wave is getting bigger and bigger and Lloyd Harris is looking to put South Africa on the map among the stars of tomorrow.

The 20 year old battled through to the semi-finals this past week at the Kaohsiung OEC Open in Taiwan, winning four of five tie-breaks over four matches to equal his best result on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Harris’s impressive 2017 campaign has seen him compete at all three tiers of competition. Contending at ITF Futures events at the start of the season, the Cape Town native eventually transitioned to the ATP Challenger Tour as a regular competitor before making his ATP World Tour debut at the inaugural Antalya Open as a lucky loser.

Just inside the Top 300 of the Emirates ATP Rankings at the start of the year, a higher level of tennis has come quickly for the 20 year old, but it has not been without its learning curve. Now up to a career-high at No. 199, the newest member of the #NextGenATP contingent is steadily plotting his ascent.

“Getting to the Challenger level was a big stage for me and it took me a while to get used to it,” Harris said. “I don’t think I was consistent enough; I had the game definitely – the serve, the forehand – but not consistent enough.

 “Starting out the year, if I think back, I feel like a lot has changed and I’ve made a lot of improvements,” he added. “I really tried, especially in the last few months, to play the highest level of tournaments that I could get into. Trying to go for some ATP qualifying events and playing as many Challengers as possible. I think that’s helped my game tremendously and improved small things quite a lot.”

?? 20-year-old Lloyd Harris is on the cusp of a Top 200 breakthrough after reaching his second #ATPChallenger SF of the year in Kaohsiung. pic.twitter.com/iKeD3naCLj

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 6, 2017

Last week, Harris managed to successfully qualify for the Shenzhen Open just three months after his first ATP World Tour main draw appearance on the grass of Antalya. He bowed out to eventual finalist Alexandr Dolgopolov. But the South African cites a different match as the turning point in his tennis, when he believed that he belonged with the game’s best.

“I really had a moment when I played in Montreal. I played against Mikhail Youzhny in the [Masters 1000] there … I ended up losing 7-6 in the final set,” said Harris of his first round qualifying encounter at the Coupe Rogers, a 6-7(4), 7-6(4), 6-7(5) loss to the Russian veteran. “That’s kind of where I realised, ‘okay, you’re on this level. This guy has been Top 10 in the world, you lost 7-6 in the third; it’s just a little stepping stone and you can beat some of these guys.’”

Harris’s own success comes in the wake of a landmark moment for South African tennis: compatriot Kevin Anderson’s astonishing run to the US Open final. In spite of this, Harris and Anderson are just two of three South Africans in the Top 1000 of the Emirates ATP Rankings (the other being Nicolaas Scholtz.) According to the 20 year old, the scarcity of fellow nationals in the rankings isn’t due to a lack of talent.

“Travelling from South Africa, you need to have a fortune of money to travel all over the world. That is one of the big problems,” said Harris, adding that instead of going pro early, many young South Africans elect to go to the American collegiate system for an education and for training – a path that compatriot Anderson himself took.

“Unless you come from a super wealthy family, you’re not going to have enough money to travel freely and around the world, if you’re from South Africa. I think with the right systems in place there’s the potential for more players in the Top 1000.”

Standing at 6-foot-5 and citing Roger Federer as an idol, Harris has the booming serve and rocket of a forehand that could see him make a lasting impact in tennis, akin to how Anderson did match after match at Flushing Meadows. Looking ahead, the Emirates ATP Rankings aren’t his biggest concern. Instead, his preparations for 2018 are focused solely on improving his game, including forecourt play and returns. 

“I’m not going to talk any goals—that’s going to come in its own way,” added Harris. “If I keep improving on my tennis the way I want to and keep improving the things that I am working on, then I believe that I can become the best player that I can possibly be.”

One word can sum up the reason why everything appears to be clicking for Filip Krajinovic… Belief.

Krajinovic will step back into familiar territory as he re-enters the Top 100 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time since May 2016, after clinching the title at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Almaty, Kazakhstan on Saturday. The 25 year old is projected to leap past his previous career-high of No. 86 to No. 79.

“I believed that to break back into the Top 100 was possible, but I was not sure if I was going to be able to do that,” Krajinovic said. “Now, all of a sudden, I won one tournament from the qualifiers, then I started to play better. I believed and got closer and now here you go.”

The Serbian, who leads the Challenger circuit with five titles this year, returned to the winners’ circle once again, overpowering countryman Laslo Djere 6-0, 6-3 on Saturday to go back-to-back on the clay of Rome and Almaty. His ruthless run included a combined 37 games lost, not dropping a set en route to notching the consecutive crowns.

“It has been an unbelievable year for me,” Krajinovic said. “Last year I was injured so I really couldn’t play, and the beginning of the year wasn’t good for me, and then this summer I believed in myself that I could do it. Now, I’m going to have five titles and be in the Top 80 in the world. I think I achieved my goal, and it is just the beginning of my career.”

The run continues! Back-to-back #ATPChallenger ? without dropping a set for ?? Filip Krajinovic. Defeats Laslo Djere 60 63 in Almaty final. pic.twitter.com/zsuv1YQs3B

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 7, 2017

Having endured a series of setbacks in 2016, including wrist and shoulder injuries, the Serbian has flipped the script. He owns an ATP Challenger Tour leading 47 match wins this year. Although Krajinovic’s run has been impressive, he is not the only Serbian making his mark on the tour in the wake of Novak Djokovic’s absence due to injury. Looking to each other for inspiration and that extra push, Janko Tipsarevic has claimed four Challenger titles, and Laslo Djere and Dusan Lajovic have each captured one. Players from the European nation have amassed a tour-leading 11 titles this year.

“Serbia now has six Top 100 guys, which is amazing for that small country,” Krajinovic said. “We are sad that Djokovic is not playing, but we have a lot of players that are coming up which is good for us. We push each other. For example, Djere, I lost close matches to him this year, but he pushed me to play better and to make the goals. We are going to have more players and it is very good for Serbia.”

While the rise of Serbian tennis is worthy of excitement, the 6-foot-1 Krajinovic still has a ways to go to prove that he belongs among the top players, as he continues to climb the Emirates ATP Rankings.

“Next year my goal is to play only tour-level events. I will have a very good preseason. I have already set everything up for that. I will work even harder. I know what I need to improve to play with those guys,” Krajinovic added. “I have had a couple of setbacks in my career. I had two big injuries so I couldn’t really play. I couldn’t use my potential. I think now it’s time. I have learned that I need to take care of the body. Right now I have a great team behind me, and they are helping me a lot. It is not just me, it is all of us together.

“To be honest, I already achieved my goals. It was Top 100…Now I am Top 80. The goal is now Top 70 to finish stronger, but in my mind I am just going to play relaxed. I have a lot of confidence after winning so many matches. I am just going to go to the tournaments and enjoy and see how it goes.”

If Rafael Nadal is to finish as the year-end No. 1 for a fourth time, his recent performances on hard courts will be of critical importance.

Nadal extended his win streak to 12 straight with the China Open title on Sunday, defeating Nick Kyrgios 6-2, 6-1. The Spaniard, who remains undefeated since returning to World No. 1 on 21 August, tightened his grip on the top spot in the Emirates ATP Race To London. Now up to 2,360 points over Roger Federer, he has put himself in prime position to cap his 2017 campaign in No. 1 fashion.

Victory in Beijing gives Nadal his 75th career crown, moving to within two titles of John McEnroe for fourth on the Open Era list. It was his second triumph in the Chinese capital, having previously defeated Guillermo Coria for the 2005 trophy.

The Manacor native, who notched his 60th match win of the season with a semi-final victory over Grigor Dimitrov, added a sixth title this year. He previously emerged victorious at the US Open one month ago, in addition to wins at Roland Garros, the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Monte-Carlo and Madrid, as well as in Barcelona.

More to come…

A 75th career title—and first in Beijing since 2005—for @RafaelNadal!

?#ChinaOpen pic.twitter.com/bTYE5tBOnX

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 8, 2017

Ben Mclachlan and Yasutaka Uchiyama had the Ariake Colosseum rocking on Sunday afternoon at the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2017 when they became the first all-Japanese titlists in Tokyo for 12 years. Her Imperial Highness Princess Mako of Japan watched the historic final unfold.

Mclachlan, New Zealand-born by a Japanese mother, and Uchiyama defeated second-seeded Briton Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares of Brazil 6-4, 7-6(1) in one hour and 32 minutes for their first ATP World Tour team title.

The Japanese wild cards earned 500 Emirates ATP Rankings points and shared $101,440 in prize money at the end of a memorable which saw them knock out another team in contention for next month’s Nitto ATP Finals, top seeds and recent US Open champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, in the first round.

Mclachlan and Uchiyama are the first all-Japanese titlists at the ATP World Tour 500 tournament in Tokyo since 2005 when Satoshi Iwabuchi and Takao Suzuki defeated Swede Simon Aspelin and Todd Perry of Australia in the final.

Mclachlan, appearing this week in the main draw of an ATP World Tour tournament for the first time, saved three break points from 15/40 in the opening game of the match. The Japanese duo showed few nerves in taking a 3-0 lead, before Murray and Soares worked their way back from a 1-4 deficit to 4-4. However, Murray struck a double fault at 4-5, 30/40 to end the 30-minute opener.

Mclachlan came through a deciding deuce point at the start of the second set, the lone break point chance for either team. In the tie-break, the Japanese were at their aggressive best opening up a 3/0 lead before completing victory when Murray crossed to hit a forehand volley into the net. It denied Soares the 400th doubles match win of his career.

Murray and Soares are currently No. 4 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 12-19 November. Murray is now 19-20 in tour-level finals and Soares is 26-25 overall in championship matches. The duo is 4-3 in finals this year (7-5 overall as a team).

The British-Brazilian team earned 300 points and split $49,660 in prize money.

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Sunday is of the utmost importance in Tokyo, as one player in the final is competing for a spot in the Nitto ATP Finals, while his opponent is attempting to capture his maiden ATP World Tour title.

The championship match of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships features unseeded Adrian Mannarino against No. 4 seed David Goffin, who has won both previous meetings, in Marseille (2012) and Basel (2015). Mannarino is trying to become the first Frenchman to win the Tokyo title since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2009, while Goffin is attempting to become the first Belgian to win the event.

Goffin is appearing in the Tokyo final for the second-straight year (l. to Kyrgios) and the he enters his attempt to win his fourth-career title on an eight-match winning streak after earning his third-career ATP World Tour title in Shenzhen last Sunday.

The Belgian has moved to No. 10 in the Emirates ATP Race To London standings and is 105 points ahead of American Sam Querrey for the final spot. If he wins, Goffin will add 200 points to rise past Pablo Carreno Busta into No. 8 in the Race. Goffin is playing in his fourth final this season (1-2) and the 10th ATP World Tour final of his career (3-6).

Mannarino, who posted the biggest win of his career over No. 5 Marin Cilic in the semi-finals is trying to capture his first ATP World Tour title.

There have been seven first-time winners on the ATP World Tour this season. The last player to win his maiden crown in Tokyo was South African Wesley Moodie in 2005 (d. Ancic). He was also the last unseeded Tokyo champion. The last left-hander to win the event was Rafael Nadal, who is in the China Open final, in 2010.

This is Mannarino’s second final of the season after a runner-up showing in Antalya, Turkey in July (l. to Sugita), and the fourth of his career. The Frenchman posted his third Top 10 win of the season over Cilic and equaled his career-best wins total (28) from 2015.

In the doubles championship, the Japanese wild card duo of Ben Mclachlan and Yasutaka Uchiyama take on No. 2 seeds Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, who are 3-2 in finals this season.

The Japanese squad upset the top seeds and US Open champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau in the quarter-finals en route to the final. This is Mclachlan’s first ATP World Tour main draw, while Uchiyama entered the week with one tour victory, three years ago in Tokyo. The last Japanese duo to win an ATP World Tour doubles title was Satoshi Iwabuchi and Takao Suzuki in 2005 Tokyo.