Nick Kyrgios showed his abilities from an early age, reaching two Grand Slam quarter-finals before turning 21. But the Aussie made his biggest charge up the FedEx ATP Rankings by establishing more consistency throughout the 2016 season, with a prime example coming at the Truist Atlanta Open.

The flashy Aussie arrived in Georgia on a two-match losing streak, but he quickly settled into the Atlanta heat and battled hard to win his second ATP Tour title.

“In Marseille, I was unbeatable,” Kyrgios said of his first title earlier in the year. “This week was completely different. I wasn’t playing well at all at the start of the week… I found the right balance. I was competing and had some fun.” 

Kyrgios emerged from three-setters in the quarter-finals and semi-finals against Fernando Verdasco and Yoshihito Nishioka, respectively. He then faced a daunting challenge against big-serving home favourite John Isner, who carried a 15-match Atlanta winning streak into the final.

“I knew it was going to be tough from the get-go,” said Kyrgios. “John is still so comfortable on that court. I needed to come up with some special stuff today and it just came down to a couple points here and there. I did all the right things today and stayed calm. I knew I’d have my chance.”

Kyrgios had his back against the wall at the start, facing three break points at 0/40 in his opening service game. Losing any of those points against the American would have been a crushing way to start the match. But the 21-year-old saved them all and settled in from there.

“Returning is very crucial against John,” said Kyrgios. “That serve is world-class. It would have been a completely different story if he got me there.”

Isner saved the two break points he faced, but it was not enough. Kyrgios triumphed 7-6(3), 7-6(4) when the American double faulted on match point. Kyrgios had previously trailed Isner 0-2 in their ATP Head2Head series.

“I go back to that second game of the match,” Isner said. “He came up with really good serves. He’s one of the best servers on the Tour.”

Later in 2016, Kyrgios won his first ATP 500 in Tokyo and reached a career-high No. 13 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

Did You Know?
In the 2016 Atlanta final, Kyrgios won 67 per cent of his second-serve points compared to 39 per cent for Isner.

If you watch the Truist Atlanta Open on championship Sunday, there’s a good chance you’ll see John Isner on the schedule.

The big-serving American has competed in the final of this event eight times and picked up five titles (2013-15, 2017-18). Having attended college less than 75 miles away at the University of Georgia, Isner is surrounded by friends and fellow UGA alum each year and he has thrived on the local support.

ATPTour.com looks at his five titles in Atlanta.

2013
Isner was eager for his maiden crown in Atlanta after runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2011 (both l. to Fish). His chances appeared slim after barely surviving his opening match against teenager Christian Harrison, then No. 370 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, but the top seed worked his way into form.

In the final, the UGA alum renewed his college rivalry with University of Illinois alum Kevin Anderson. Isner saved two championship points on his serve at 5-6 in the final set before scoring a 6-7(3), 7-6(2), 7-6(2) victory. The American cracked 24 aces and saved all 11 break points he faced.

“This is a tournament where I could’ve been out in my first match,” Isner said. “I lived on the edge all week and seemed to come through each and every time. It’s very encouraging.”

2014
Isner’s title defence nearly started with an opening-round exit, but finished as a rousing success.

Returning to Atlanta as the top seed, he saved two match points in his first match against fellow American Robby Ginepri before escaping in three sets. Buoyed by his narrow win, Isner continued to get better with each round, eventually overpowering Dudi Sela 6-3, 6-4 in the final.

Even Sela had to acknowledge the challenge of beating a man 13 inches taller than him. The Israeli comically stood on a box for their pre-match photo to lessen the height difference.

2015
Isner completed a hat trick in Atlanta and earned his 10th ATP Tour title with a convincing 6-3, 6-3 victory against Marcos Baghdatis. The American lost just one point on serve in the opening set and never allowed his opponent into the match.

“Seven years ago, when I heard this tournament was going to come to Atlanta, I figured it was going to be a good thing for me,” Isner told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. “But not this good.”

2017
Although 2017 marked Isner’s first title in Atlanta without dropping a set, he was pushed to the edge in the final with good friend Ryan Harrison.

Riding a wave of confidence from prevailing the week before in Newport (d. Ebden), the second seed erased a set point in both tie-breaks to earn a 7-6(6), 7-6(7) win and his fourth crown in Atlanta. Isner fought off a set point at 5/6 in the first-set tie-break with an ace and repeated the effort at 6/7 in the second-set tie-break.

“It was a battle. I needed every ounce of my energy out there, but I’m so happy to win this tournament again,” Isner said. “This tournament has meant everything to me.”

2018
The confidence that comes with winning four titles at an event exuded from Isner’s game as he returned to defend his title. Having already recorded his first ATP Masters 1000 crown in Miami (d. Zverev) and first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon that season, the top seed continued his winning ways in Atlanta even when he wasn’t at his best.

Isner’s ATP Head2Head rivalry with Ryan was renewed in the championship match and he came out on top once again, shaking off a slow start to prevail 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. The perfect week marked the 14th tour-level title of his career.

“I feel like there may come a time where I’m not back in the finals or I’m not the champion again, but as it stands right now, I’m very happy to be the champ here,” Isner said. “I’m very comfortable here. I make breakfast in my own room, go to the Publix next door. It really feels like I’m at home and that helps so much.”

In the ATP’s ‘Ultimate Doubles Player’ series, top doubles players only agreed unanimously on who has the best shot for one stroke or skill: Lukasz Kubot being the best aggressive returner. The Pole strikes fear into opponents with the way in which he attacks returns.

“There are guys going pedal to the metal like a Lukasz Kubot, Filip Polasek as well,” former World No. 1 Jamie Murray said. “It’s go big or go home. I’ve faced a few Kubi bombs in my time, as I’m sure my partners have as well.”

When a returner goes after the ball, it could instantly turn the point in his team’s favour. Not only do net players have almost no time to react, but the server could be forced to hit a low volley off a rocket return from deep in the court. The world’s best say Kubot takes that to the extreme.

Below, they explain how and why he is so good at it.

Rajeev Ram
“I feel like my serve is one of my strengths and when I step up to the line against Lukasz and he’s having a good day, you just feel like there’s nowhere to serve where he can’t hit a winner. He can hit a forehand winner or backhand winner and it comes at 100 miles per hour every single time. It feels like it comes faster than your serve goes sometimes. It’s just a really intimidating feeling, because you feel like if you hang your serve a little bit, he’s going to put your partner in the hospital.”

Raven Klaasen
“The way he returns is to go overly aggressive and to almost start and end the point at the same time. If he connects, it’s probably going to be on his racquet and he takes your racquet out of your hand a little bit. To be quite honest, if you put it in the wrong spot, your net partner could be in a heap of trouble up there. It’s pretty scary.”

Marcelo Melo (Kubot’s partner)
“I have to say Kubi because if I don’t say anything for Kubi he’s going to kill me. Kubi’s very good on return. I will pick Kubi as [my] aggressive [returner] because when he’s on, everybody knows how dangerous he is. He can return cross-court, down the line. Players are normally afraid to make the volley or be on the net when he returns.”

Jurgen Melzer
“When he’s on, you never know where to serve, because bombs are coming back on both sides. It’s very difficult to play him.”

Joe Salisbury
“He’s definitely got the most dangerous return. I think when he’s on, you feel like there’s nothing you can do with your serve. You have to hit 130 miles per hour on the line to get it past him. Whenever he makes one, he’s winning the point.”

Jamie Murray
“You know it’s coming and a lot of times he might miss, but it’s that fear factor, and especially on a big point. When you feel like it can be totally taken out of your hands with just one swing of the racquet, that’s not a good feeling to have.”

Filip Polasek
“He can hit the ball by far the fastest and when he connects with the ball, it’s really tough to have the answer for it. When he’s on fire, he’s definitely the best returner.”

Ken Skupski
“When he’s feeling it, when he’s trying to be aggressive, in the big moments he’s looking to influence the point the most. He is the guy that I think is very difficult to guarantee if you put a big serve in that he’s not going to come out swinging and go for broke and potentially come up with a huge shot and take the point away from you.”

Neal Skupski
“He takes good, big cuts at the ball and it just puts you under pressure straight away. He’s very intimidating.”