As Marcelo Melo’s results dropped off from the 2017 Brisbane International presented by Suncorp and the clock edged closer to midnight in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on Sunday night, 9,347 miles away — and with a 16-hour time difference — in Sydney, Australia, Lukasz Kubot received news.

The 35-year-old Pole had risen to No. 1 in the ATP Doubles Rankings, tied with his partner Melo. For the first time since Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan jointly held top spot for the final time on 25 October 2015, the team discipline has two stand-out performers.

View Latest Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings

Speaking at the Sydney International on Tuesday, having reflected on the achievement overnight, Kubot told ATPWorldTour.com, “It’s a dream. As a doubles player, I am very happy and proud of my achievements with Marcelo [Melo] last year. It paid off, we’re now the No. 1 team [in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings] and also No. 1s in the individual list as well.

“It means a lot to me. I’m shocked by this, but I think the passion and hard work we undertake every day continues to drive us forward.”

While Kubot starts his first week at No. 1, Melo begins his 41st week in the top spot — having attained the lofty position for the first time on 2 November 2015. After a 2017 season of hard graft, including six titles (including Wimbledon and three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns) from 10 finals, it is fitting that Kubot and his Brazilian partner should stand together.

“We’re focusing on the big events and use Marcelo’s experience – in those situations and being No. 1 before,” said Kubot. “For me, it’s a new situation. Right now we’re coming to tournaments as favourites, so there is a lot of pressure on our shoulders, but we continue to work hard every day. We’re still trying to improve a lot of things, do our best and develop some new patterns of play. It’s going to be an interesting year.”

As a singles competitor, the former World No. 41 Kubot reached two ATP World Tour finals at 2009 Belgrade (l. Djokovic) and the 2010 Brasil Open (l. Ferrero). He also contested an all-Polish quarter-final against Jerzy Janowicz at Wimbledon in July 2013. But he solely focused on doubles in late August 2016 and this week he has become the 51st player since 1976 to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

“It’s great for Poland,” said Kubot. “I’m happy that I’m one of the ambassadors for tennis in the country, putting Polish tennis on the map of the world. I’m very happy and proud. I’m grateful to Wojtek Fibak, who was No. 2 in doubles [5 February 1979] and Top 10 in singles [25 July 1997]. He gave me a lot of advice, from his experience, and motivation. I learned a lot from former No. 1s to get here, such as Jonas Bjorkman. I still want to get better, remain healthy and to stay on the Tour as long as I can.”

Kubot and Melo began their 2018 ATP World Tour season and their quest for a ninth team crown on a strong note, defeating Florin Mergea and Nenad Zimonjic 7-6(6), 6-3. They will face Damir Dzumhur and Roman Jebavy in the second round on Wednesday.

South Korean Hyeon Chung set up a second-round meeting against fourth-seed American John Isner at the ASB Classic on Tuesday. The reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion saved nine of 12 break points, winning five of the first six games in the deciding set of his 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory over American lucky loser Tennys Sandgren.

Sixth seed Pablo Cuevas started his 2018 season with a routine 6-3, 6-2 win against Japan’s Taro Daniel in Auckland. Cuevas broke four times and won 81 per cent of his first-serve points to coast in 77 minutes. The 32-year-old will next meet Russian Karen Khachanov.

View Wednesday Schedule: Sock, Del Potro, Querrey & Isner Open Campaigns

American Steve Johnson, who reached the semi-finals last year (l. to eventual champion Sock), pulled through in a tight first-round contest, beating Italy’s Liam Caruana 7-5, 7-6(4). Johnson will next play Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut. Germany’s Peter Gojowczyk setup a second-round matchup against top seed and defending champion Jack Sock. The 28-year-old Gojowczyk defeated American qualifier Tim Smyczek 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

Czech Jiri Vesely, the 2015 Auckland champion, pulled through in a 3-6 6-1, 7-6(7) victory against qualifier Radu Albot of Moldova and will meet Sam Querrey of the U.S. in the second round.

Two #NextGenATP players fell in their Auckland debut. Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas lost to Slovakian Lukas Lacko 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, and Norway’s Casper Ruud fell to Dutchman Robin Haase 0-6, 7-6(6), 6-3.

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Jason Kubler was sitting in his hotel room at the City of Playford Tennis International, a $75,000 event on the ATP Challenger Tour, when the phone rang. 

“I didn’t expect it at all, but Lleyton called me and there were so many emotions. Six months ago I would have never guessed that I’d be in this situation.” 

Lleyton Hewitt was on the other end, awarding his 24-year-old countryman with a main draw wild card into the Australian Open. As Kubler admits, the call was not expected, but, having finally found consistent success after years of physical struggles, it was more than well-deserved.

“I didn’t have Lleyton’s number saved on my phone, so I said ‘ok, I’ll just answer this one’. It was right before my semi-final match. It was Lleyton and he told me I had gotten a wild card. It was pretty crazy for the next few hours. I had to refocus for the semi.”

With the 2018 season just one week old, the ATP Challenger Tour already has its feel-good, compelling narrative. Kubler, a former junior No. 1 whose career was derailed due to chronic knee issues, was forced to compete exclusively on clay for many years. But improved conditioning and extensive rehab have allowed him to make the transition to hard courts. And the results have been nothing short of incredible.

Kubler claimed his second title on the surface in 10 weeks, having previously never stepped foot on an ATP Challenger Tour hard court. His astounding run has included a pair of titles on home soil, in Traralgon in October and in Playford on Sunday, and just one loss in between. Even more impressively, both triumphs came as a qualifier, moving his win-loss mark to 17-1 to open his hard-court career. 

In addition, Kubler did not drop a set en route to the title in Playford, becoming the first qualifier to do so since 2009.

“It’s just one of those things where I’ve been pretty lucky at the moment,” Kubler added, referring to his health. “Things are going right. I can’t really say that I’ve done one particular thing that’s made it much better. Now I’m playing on hard courts and there’s no swelling anymore and no pain. It just feels normal.

“My shoulder was actually a little sore before this, but the knees are holding up pretty well. I played 12 matches this week (including doubles) and I didn’t feel it at all. My knees have been pretty good. It makes me think that I should have played on hard even sooner.”

What a week! @JasonKubler claims his second hard-court ?, winning on ?? soil in Playford.

Did not drop a set all week as a qualifier (16-0) pic.twitter.com/DlyHDvG5Lh

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) January 7, 2018

Having saved one match point to defeat Alex Bolt in the Traralgon final, the title match in Playford was much more straightforward. He would upend Canada’s Brayden Schnur 6-4, 6-2, seeing his position in the ATP Rankings soar 99 spots to No. 242. Three years removed from attaining a career-high of No. 136, he is looking to surpass that in 2018.

“I was just going into the tournament looking for matches. It exceeded my expectations. Hopefully I don’t have to qualify every time I win a Challenger. But I couldn’t have started the year any better than this. I played pretty well.”

A hereditary knee condition that results in weakened meniscus around the joints led Kubler to undergo multiple surgeries in his early teens. And the fragility of the muscle surrounding the knee forced him to adapt his game and make a critical decision: play exclusively on clay or don’t play at all. Fearing any structural damage and further setbacks from hitting the hard courts, Kubler decided that the risks were too glaring to ignore. For more than six years, he adhered to a strict clay-court diet in pursuit of his dreams.

Now, playing the best tennis of his career, Hollywood couldn’t even have scripted a plotline like this for the Brisbane native. Inspired by fellow Aussies Thanasi Kokkinakis and John Millman, both of whom have made successful returns to the pro circuit following lengthy injury absences, Kubler has made an immediate impact in his comeback. And it is set to continue with a dream appearance at next week’s Australian Open – his first tour-level event since 2014.

“I took inspiration from what Thanasi went through,” Kubler continued. “To come back and then get re-injured with a different one is tough. Same with John as well. He was about my age when he first got hurt. Hopefully I can keep going, so it will be the three of us on the way up. We’ll see how it goes.

“It was quite tough to keep the motivation up to be honest. You’re doing rehab every day and not hitting balls and going out on the tennis court. It was really tough. But my girlfriend kept me on track and I got through it. I’m just enjoying being on court now. As long as I’m trying my best, I’m happy.”

Kubler will make his second appearance at his home Grand Slam, having fallen to former World No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic on debut in 2010. It was his lone previous tour-level hard-court match. Eight years later, he is back in Melbourne Park.

Who is going to rock the tennis world in 2018?

The crystal ball of player improvement can sometimes be uncertain, but an Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis highlights the group of players you should keep your eye on in the 2018 season, based on their promise and performance in 2017. For different reasons and at different rankings, these players look poised to make serious headlines in 2018. Let’s just say you heard it here first…

1. Next to be No. 1 = Grigor Dimitrov

The jigsaw puzzle has finally come together for the talented 26-year-old Bulgarian. He started 2017 ranked No. 17 in the ATP Rankings, but surged all the way to No. 3 at the end of the season courtesy of winning the Nitto ATP Finals in London. In 2016, Dimitrov saved only 60 per cent (238/397) of break points when serving, good enough for 36th best on tour in this specific category. Fast forward to 2017 and that number sky-rocketed to 70 per cent (252/360), and he leaped to fifth best saving break points. He is now mentally tougher, physically stronger, and has the confidence to stand alone at the summit.

2. Top 10 Breakthrough = Nick Kyrgios

The 22-year-old Australian reached No. 13 in October 2016, but moved backwards to No. 21 to finish the 2017 season. He is better than that, as we saw on Sunday when he beat Ryan Harrison to capture the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp title and improve his ATP Ranking to No. 17. Kyrgios is young and brash, and has already established himself as one of the premier servers in the history of our sport.

Read & Watch: Kyrgios Beats Harrison To Win Brisbane Title

The ATP Stats LEADERBOARDS, powered by Infosys NIA Data, has Kyrgios ranked sixth best overall with serve performance since 1991. With a serve that big, there won’t be stopping him now he has something to prove – which starts with a 2018 move into the Top 10.

3. Top 20 Breakthrough = Hyeon Chung

Chung is currently ranked No. 62, but finished 2017 in a flourish, winning the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan in November. Impressively, Chung was the eighth best returner on tour in 2017, winning 27.9 per cent of his return games, which put him higher than Top 10 players Roger Federer (26.7 per cent), David Goffin (26.7 per cent), and Dominic Thiem (25.2 per cent). Chung started 2017 outside the Top 100, but look for him to be firmly entrenched in the Top 20 by the end of 2018.

4. Big Upsets Coming = Andrey Rublev

When you see elite level players being upset on the big stage in 2018, there is a good chance that this 20-year-old Russian will be the reason. Rublev started 2018 ranked No. 39 and climbed to No. 32 with his Qatar ExxonMobil Open final run last week. But Rublev has the potential to reach the Top 20, and then halve that number by season’s end.

Rublev has already excelled on the big stage, reaching the quarter-finals of the 2017 US Open with wins against Top 10 players Dimitrov and Goffin. Rublev was an impressive 14th best on tour returning serve in 2017. His highest strategic ranking was 10th best with points won returning second serves, at 53.4 per cent. He was just 71st best on the ATP Stats Serve LEADERBOARD. Rublev actually has an outstanding service motion, so as that continues to mature, it’s all upside in 2018 for the Moscow native.

5. The Excitement Machine = Denis Shapovalov

The 18-year-old Canadian had an outstanding 2017, leaping all the way from No. 250 at the start of the year to No. 51 by season’s end after reaching a career-high No. 49 in October. What does he do so well? The list is a mile long, but you must start with the serve. He was ranked 21st on the ATP Stats Serve LEADERBOARD in 2017, and was 13th best winning points behind his second serve at 53.9 per cent. His left-handed delivery is defined by accuracy, slice and power – and it’s going to only improve.

6. The Stalwarts of the ATP World Tour

Despite all the fresh and exciting players who made noise in 2017, let’s not forget that no one had a better year than year-end No. 1 Rafael Nadal, and close behind him was longtime rival Roger Federer, who finished at No. 2. Stan Wawrinka, Novak Djokovic and 2016 year-end No. 1 Andy Murray all had to end their seasons early because of injuries, but expect the trio of greats, along with Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori, to be back in fine form at some point in 2018 to make this year one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory.

Dimitrov, Kyrgios, Chung, Rublev, Shapovalov, along with the traditional powers of men’s tennis, will all make waves in 2018. Keep an eye on them and follow their progress all season at ATPWorldTour.com. It’s going to be a fun ride.