The first ATP World Tour 500 tournament of the 2018 season gets underway this week in Rotterdam, where Roger Federer steps out for the first time since winning the Australian Open. The Swiss legend will reclaim the No. 1 ATP Ranking for the first time in more than five years if he reaches the semi-finals. As ‘Frantic February’ enters its second week, we’ll also see two 250 tournaments in Buenos Aires and New York.

10 THINGS TO WATCH IN ROTTERDAM
(1) First 500 of Season: This is the first of 13 ATP World Tour 500 tournaments of the season. The  45th anniversary of the popular Dutch indoor tournament features seven of the Top 20 in the ATP Rankings, led by World No. 2 Roger Federer who will return to No. 1 if he reaches the semi-finals.

(2) Roger Eyes No. 1: Wild card and two-time Rotterdam champion (2005, 2012), Federer is looking to return to No. 1 for the first time since Nov. 4, 2012. If the Swiss superstar gets to No. 1 on Feb. 19, the gap of 5 years, 106 days will be the longest between stints at No. 1. At 36, he would also become the oldest No. 1, replacing Andre Agassi (33) who held the top spot on Sept. 7, 2003.

(3) Roger Returns: This will be Federer’s first time back in Rotterdam since 2013 when he reached the quarter-finals. He is 23-6 lifetime and he’s never lost before the QFs. This is also Federer’s first tournament since capturing his 20th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last month.

(4) Title Contenders: Federer will be challenged by No. 2 seed Grigor Dimitrov, No. 3 Alexander Zverev, No. 4 David Goffin, No. 5 Stan Wawrinka, No. 6 Tomas Berdych and No. 7 Lucas Pouille. No. 8 and defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga withdrew due to a hamstring injury. Wawrinka won the title in 2015 and Berdych lifted the trophy in 2014. Another former winner, Martin Klizan (2016), qualified into the main draw on Sunday.

(5) Grigor Back in Action: Dimitrov opened the first month of action with a SF in Brisbane and QF at the Australian Open. He is 8-6 in Rotterdam with his best result the SFs in 2013. He won his first career ATP match in the Dutch tourney in 2009 (d. No. 23 Berdych, l. to No. 1 Nadal in three sets).

(6) Berdych Turnaround: Berdych started off with a 2-5 record in Rotterdam but since 2011 he has improved with a 17-4 mark, winning the 2014 title, reaching the 2015 final and two SFs (2012, ’17).

(7) Ferrer Returns: David Ferrer returns to Rotterdam for the first time since 2011. He is 2-0 lifetime against 1R opponent No. 3 A. Zverev, who reached the QFs in Rotterdam two years ago.

(8) Dutch Title Hopes: Top Dutchman Robin Haase takes on countryman Thiemo de Bakker in the 1R. Both players are looking to improve their results on home soil. De Bakker is 3-8 and Haase 4-9. The last Dutchman to win the Rotterdam title was Jan Siemerink 20 years ago.

(9) Wild Cards: Besides Federer, the other wild cards are Dutchmen de Bakker and Tallon Griekspoor, who is looking for his first career ATP World Tour win (0-2). Canadian 17-year-old #NextGenATP star Felix Auger-Aliassime is making his ATP World Tour main draw debut.

(10) Doubles Draw: Top seeds are Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo, No. 2 seeds are Oliver Marach and Mate Pavic, who are 14-0 this season with three titles and unbeaten in their last 21 matches going back to last season. No. 3 seeds are Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut and No. 4 are 2015 champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau.

10 THINGS TO WATCH IN BUENOS AIRES
(1) Second Clay Court Stop: This is the second of five tournaments in the Latin America “Golden Swing”. Over the past 10 years Spaniards have dominated the tournament by winning seven titles in a row from 2009-2015.

(2) Thiem Leads Field: Top seed Dominic Thiem, who returns to Buenos Aires for the second time in three years, is the lone former champion in the field. The Austrian star will receive a 1R bye along with Pablo Carreno Busta, Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Fabio Fognini.

(3) Thiem Top Seed: Thiem is trying to become the first top seed to win the Buenos Aires title since Rafael Nadal in 2015. Last season Thiem finished in the Top 10 for the second straight year at a personal-best No. 5, highlighted by his eighth career title in Rio. In his Argentina debut two years ago he beat Spaniards Nadal in the SFs and Almagro in the final, both in a third set tie-break.

(4) Carreno Busta Makes Turnaround: No. 2 seed Carreno Busta turned things around last year by reaching the semi-finals (l. to Dolgopolov) after going winless in his first three trips to Buenos Aires.

(5) Ramos-Vinolas in Final: No. 3 seed Ramos-Vinolas failed to break a three-match final losing streak on Sunday in the Quito title match. The Spaniard’s lone ATP World Tour title came in 2016 Bastad. He is 9-7 lifetime in Buenos Aires with three quarter-final appearances (2013-14, 2017).

(6) Fognini Back Again: No. 4 seed Fognini is making his 11th Buenos Aires appearance in 13 years, most of anyone in the field. The No. 1 Italian has a 9-10 record with his best showing a runner-up in 2014 (l. to Ferrer). He has lost his ast three opening round matches in Buenos Aires.

(7) Edmund Makes Debut: No. 6 seed Kyle Edmund makes his South American tournament debut. The British No. 2 is playing his first tournament since advancing to his first Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open (d. No. 3 Dimitrov, l. to Cilic) last month.

(8) Eight in a Row: The trio of Spaniard Ramos-Vinolas and Argentines Federico Delbonis and Leonardo Mayer are all making their eighth straight main draw appearance. Ramos-Vinolas is a three-time quarter-finalist and Delbonis a two-time QF. Mayer has reached the 2R six times.

(9) Wild Cards: Argentines Carlos Berlocq, Nicolas Kicker and Pedro Cachin are the wild cards. Berlocq is 10-9 in Buenos Aires while Kicker and Cachin are making their main draw debut. There are eight Argentines in the field, with two possible qualifiers. No. 5 seed Diego Schwartzman is the highest-ranked Argentine in the draw. The last Argentine champion on home soil was David Nalbandian in 2008.

(10) Doubles Draw: The top seeds are reigning two-time champs Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah, who were Australian Open finalists. The No. 2 seeds are Santiago Gonzalez and Julio Peralta, the No. 3 seeds are Nikola Mektic and Alexander Peya and No. 4 are Argentines Andres Molteni and Horacio Zeballos.

10 THINGS TO WATCH IN NEW YORK
(1) Tour Returns to Long Island: This is the first ATP World Tour tournament on Long Island since 2004 when action took place in August one week before the US Open. This year’s tournament is being played at the NYCB Live, home of the Nassau Coliseum. It is the first of 10 tournaments in the U.S. and the only U.S. indoor event on the ATP World Tour.

(2) Anderson Leads Field: This is the fifth time Kevin Anderson is the No. 1 seed in an ATP World Tour tournament. He is trying to win his first ATP title as the top seed. He opened the season with a runner-up at Pune (l. to Simon) and followed with a 1R at the Aust. Open (l. to Edmund in five sets).

(3) Americans Seeded: Four of the top eight seeds are Americans, led by No. 2 Sam Querrey, No. 3 John Isner, No. 6 Ryan Harrison and No. 7 Steve Johnson. Last year each player won at least one title and the foursome accounted for six of the nine titles won by Americans. Overall there are 10 Americans in the main draw, not including possible qualifiers.

(4) Nishikori Returns: No. 5 seed Kei Nishikori returns to the ATP World Tour for the first time since losing in his opening match on Aug. 9 to Gael Monfils in Montreal. The Japanese star has been sidelined with a right wrist injury. He came back last month at the Newport Beach, CA Challenger and lost in the 1R. Last Sunday he won the title at the Dallas Challenger.

(5) Harrison Quick Starter: Harrison comes in with a 6-2 record this season after reaching the final in Brisbane (l. to Kyrgios) and the 3R at the Australian Open (l. to Cilic). A year ago Harrison won his maiden ATP singles title in Memphis and finished in the Top 50 for the first time at No. 47.

(6) Youthful Wild Cards: The American trio of Sebastian Korda (17), Noah Rubin (21) and Mackenzie McDonald (22) are the wild cards in the draw. All three have played well in the early part of the season. Korda won the Australian Open boys’ junior title and is now the No. 1 junior in the world, Rubin captured the New Caledonia Challenger in the opening week of the season and McDonald was runner-up at the Dallas Challenger last week.

(7) Youth is Served: The two youngest players in the draw: Korda (17) and Frances Tiafoe (20), meet in the 1R. Korda is making his ATP World Tour debut.

(8) Like Father, Like Son: Korda captured the Australian Open boys’ crown 20 years after his father Petr claimed his biggest career title Down Under in Melbourne. Petr Korda also won the Hamlet Cup in Long Island in 1992 for one of his 10 career singles titles.

(9) From Clay to Hard: Victor Estrella Burgos and Ivo Karlovic both lost in the 2R this past week on clay in Quito. They are the two oldest players in the draw at 37 and 38, respectively.

(10) Doubles Draw: The top seeds are Bob and Mike Bryan, who have combined to win a record 114 doubles titles. No. 2 are Max Mirnyi and Philipp Oswald, No. 3 are Nicholas Monroe and John-Patrick Smith, and No. 4 are Robert Lindstedt and Franko Skugor.

Roberto Carballes Baena celebrated his maiden moment on Sunday at the Ecuador Open, clinching his first ATP World Tour title in dramatic fashion. The Spaniard won his third straight three-set clash to lift the trophy, battling to victory as a qualifier. He would defeat countryman Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 for the Quito crown.

Carballes Baena is the third first-time winner already this year and second of the week. Daniil Medvedev prevailed on the hard courts of Sydney in January, while Mirza Basic won earlier on Sunday in Sofia.

Afterwards, Carballes Baena spoke to ATPWorldTour.com:

How does it feel to be holding your first ATP World Tour trophy?
It was an incredible week. I didn’t expect this at all. Every day I got better and I’m happy to win the final today. 

You are the youngest Spaniard to win an ATP title since Rafael Nadal (2011 Barcelona) and the lowest-ranked since Juan Carlos Ferrero (2009 Casablanca). How does that feel to hear your name alongside two World No. 1s?
I’m just very happy to win a title. This achievement is also special. I’m hoping to continue to do well on the ATP World Tour and that my ranking will rise.

Albert has played in six finals, including a Masters 1000. But this was your first. How did you manage your nerves?
I did the best I could. The truth is that in the second set I had many chances to break him and I couldn’t get it. In the third set, he started to get tired physically and I was just stronger. 

You’ve played qualifying or main draw at all four editions of Ecuador Open and posted better results each year. What about Quito suits your game?
In altitude, I always have good results. There is a little altitude in my hometown of Granada, so I am accustomed to it. I like it. 

You lost to Albert in the QFs here last year, another three-set battle that lasted nearly three hours. What changed?
The difference is that this was a much more equal match. Last year, in the third set I had a chance to break and didn’t take it. But this year, I stayed mentally strong and got it.

Victor Estrella Burgos finally lost in Quito on Thursday. Three days ago, did you think that you would be the man to replace him as champion?
No, I never thought I could. This has always been just a dream for me. He was one of the favourites to win it. Up until today, I didn’t think it was possible.

You reached your second semi-final this week, nearly four years after the first. How hard has it been to get back to and surpass where you were at 2014 Casablanca?
The truth is that it’s tough. I played a few quarter-finals, but I couldn’t get past that stage. Now, I fought hard and played every match to the best of my abilities this week. I’m very happy that I won them.

You ended 2017 by playing only clay-court Challengers following Wimbledon, winning two titles. How do you think the ATP Challenger Tour prepared you for your victory today?
Every match on the Challenger Tour is tough and has prepared me well for this. It demands the best of your game and I felt it was the same this week as well. 

With your run in Quito, you broke back into the Top 100, achieved a new career-high ATP Ranking and earned a special exempt into Buenos Aires. How will you do it?
I don’t know if I’ll have time to celebrate, because I have a flight at four in the morning. But I’m going to try to celebrate with my coach and my family.

Now that you have won your first ATP World Tour title, what are your goals for the rest of the season?
I’m going to try to raise my ATP Ranking and play more tournaments on the ATP World Tour. Just raising my level and doing my best.

In what was the biggest final of both players’ careers, Mirza Basic overcame the seismic serving of Marius Copil to win 7-6(6), 6-7(4), 6-4 and lift his first-ever ATP World Tour singles trophy at the DIEMA XTRA Sofia Open.

The title makes No.129-ranked Basic the season’s second first-time ATP World Tour titlist after Daniil Medvedev claimed the crown in Sydney last month, and the 26 year old becomes the second player from Bosnia and Herzegovina to win a tour-level title, following compatriot Damir Dzumhur, a two-time titlist last season. Additionally, Basic becomes the first qualifier to win a title at the tour level since Peter Gojowczyk in Metz last season. 

The DIEMA XTRA Sofia Open has been a breakthrough tournament for Basic, who scored a surprising victory over Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals – his first Top 20 win – and only dropped one set en route to the final.

The two tour-level final debutants used the quick indoor conditions of the Arena Armeec Sofia to their advantage. Blasting 12 and 19 aces respectively, Basic and Copil made frequent forays to the net and played several entertaining cat-and-mouse points, with Copil often the aggressor and Basic counterpunching with resolve, particularly off his backhand wing. 

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Despite being broken while serving for the first set, Basic managed to edge ahead with clutch returning in the tie-break and claim it in 47 minutes. In the second set, the script was reversed, with the Romanian running out to an early lead but failing to serve out the set – only to win it in a later tie-break. 

The third set was a test of nerves with each player committing to their game plans in hopes of getting their hands on their first ATP World Tour trophy. After saving break points in the second game, Basic was able to strike at 4-4 and claim the break, which was all he would need to serve out the match. As one last Copil groundstroke sailed long, the Bosnian would drop to his knees in celebration, a champion in two hours, 19 minutes.

“I’m very happy about everything this week. It’s the first title for me and the first final,” said Basic after the final. “Also, I’m very happy for breaking through after the match yesterday… After this week I will finally get in the Top 100. [After] this win, Sofia will always be my special place.”

Basic has had an exceptional run of results at ATP World Tour 250 events, reaching the quarter-finals or better at his past three and each time as a qualifier. In addition to taking home €89,435 in prize money, the Bosnian’s triumph in the Bulgarian capital will see him soar into the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings to a projected ranking of No. 76, a career-high.

Robin Haase and Matwe Middelkoop are doubles champions once again this season, claiming a 5-7, 6-4, 10-4 victory over Nikola Mektic and Alexander Peya at the DIEMA XTRA Sofia Open.

The Dutchmen, who earlier this season claimed their first title together in Pune (d. Herbert/Simon), overcame their opponents in just one hour, 13 minutes. Despite winning the same amount of total points as Mektic and Peya, Haase and Middelkoop were better in the bigger moments, saving seven of nine break points faced and converting on two of five break points themselves.

For Haase, the title in Sofia marks his fourth ATP World Tour doubles championship; for Middelkoop, his sixth. Last season, the team reached the quarter-finals of the US Open doubles tournament, which was the first Grand Slam event in their partnership.

The Dutchmen now head to their home tournament in Rotterdam as wild cards, where they will look to continue their winning form as they take on fellow wild cards Jasper Smit and Jesse Timmermans in the first round.

Mektic and Peya will have to wait a little longer to claim their first title as a team, although both have had significant success in earlier partnerships. Peya is a former World No. 3 in the ATP Doubles Rankings, while his Croatian partner claimed his first two ATP World Tour doubles crowns last season.

For the third time in 10 months, Lucas Pouille has saved match points en route to an ATP World Tour title. The 23-year-old overcame three-time champion Richard Gasquet 7-6(2), 6-4 at the Open Sud de France to win his fifth tour-level title on Sunday.

Pouille saved two match points at 1-6, 3-5 against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Saturday’s second semi-final before his compatriot was forced to retire with a left hamstring injury. The No. 17 seized his opportunity in the final with a fine serving performance, scoring an impressive 87-minute win over Gasquet to lift his second title on home soil (Metz 2016).

Pouille also saved one match point against Jan-Lennard Struff and two match points against Jiri Vesely in second round matches en route to titles in Stuttgart and Budapest in 2017.

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Nicolas Jarry and Hans Podlipnik-Castillo are the men’s doubles champions in Quito following a 7-6(6), 6-3 victory over Austin Krajicek and Jackson Withrow in just over an hour of play.

For their victory in the Ecuadorian capital, Jarry and Podlipnik-Castillo add 250 points to their ATP Ranking and share $27,170 in prize money.

The Ecuador Open marks the first ATP World Tour title in either singles or doubles for the Chilean duo, with Podlipnik-Castillo reaching just one other doubles final (2017 Kitzbuhel w/Vasilevski) and Jarry only one match win in doubles, a round-of-16 victory in Vina del Mar with Christian Garin.

Jarry and Podlipnik-Castillo were dominant on serve all match, winning 91 per cent of their first serves and surrendering a break of serve just once at the start of the second set. 

The first-time doubles champions dropped just one set all week and prevailed over French wild cards Dorian Descloix and former World No. 6 in singles Gael Monfils in the semi-finals.

Serbian tennis has long been lead by a player you’ve probably heard of, but its future is in the hands of one you might not have.

Whenever former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic decides to hang up his racquet, he’ll be happy to know that Miomir Kecmanovic, playing in just his second year on the professional circuit, appears to have things covered for his native Serbia. At just 18 years of age, Kecmanovic made his debut in the Top 200 of the ATP Rankings this week and is the youngest from his country to reach that career milestone since Djokovic first broke through in November of 2004. Now, into the semi-finals of this week’s ATP Challenger Tour event in San Francisco, there is no looking back for the teenager.

“It feels great. It’s an amazing accomplishment and not many people my age have done it,” said Kecmanovic, who is projected to rise to at least No. 178 on Monday. “I’m happy that in such a short amount of time I’ve been able to go from juniors and make the transition. I hope I can continue playing well and moving up.”

A former junior No. 1, Kecmanovic has already experienced a taste of life at the pinnacle of the game, having practised with Djokovic on multiple occasions. He also enjoyed a two-week stay at the Nitto ATP Finals in November, serving as a practice partner for the stars competing in London.

“It’s always good to have someone like [Djokovic] to look up to. He’s been such a great ambassador for the sport in Serbia It’s a shame that he’s now struggling with the elbow injury, but I’m sure he’ll come back,” said Kecmanovic, who cites his legendary compatriot as not only an inspiration but also a mentor.

“He’s given me a ton of advice and we’ve talked a bit. We’ve hung out and practiced too. It’s cool to have someone like him looking out for you. It’s amazing to see the intensity he practices with every single day. Maximum effort. It made me think that if I want to get there, I have to start working hard like that.”

Hard work in the off-season is already paying dividends for Kecmanovic in 2018. Having recently reached back-to-back quarter-finals at the ATP Challenger Tour events in Newport Beach and Dallas, the Serbian is into the semis of the Kunal Patel San Francisco Open this week, defeating fellow #NextGenATP Michael Mmoh in a high-quality three-set match this Friday.

“We’ve worked to be a aggressive with my serve and my groundstrokes and come forward more; quite a bit on my net game,” said Kecmanovic of his pre-season training with coach Miro Hrvatin, with whom he has been working for a year and a half. “We’ve done a good job together and it’s starting to show on the court. Making that transition from juniors to pros wasn’t easy. 

“It’s really different, both mentally and physically,” he added. “The matches are much longer, you don’t get easy points and have to stay focused the entire time. It started off a little tough for me, but I adapted well, playing a few good shots in a row and not just one.”

Read: 10 Players To Watch On The ATP Challenger Tour In 2018

Kecmanovic became the youngest Serbian to lift a trophy on the Challenger circuit since his fellow countryman Djokovic in 2005, when he claimed the title in Suzhou, China in the fall of last season. He did not drop a set all week. The 18-year-old has some big shoes to fill, but they’re starting to fit quite nicely. 

“My first week in China, in Ningbo, I lost 7-6 in the third in the first round. But I stayed there, practiced and worked hard to get ready for Suzhou. I didn’t expect much of myself there and I just relaxed. No pressure. I said to myself ‘who cares what you do’. It started well with the first couple matches and as I played on it got better and better.”

Additionally, Kecmanovic has joined fellow #NextGenATP Felix Auger-Aliassime as the youngest players in the Top 200. The duo faced off in the final of the 2016 US Open boys’ singles tournament, with the Canadian emerging victorious. The Belgrade native would end that season with the top junior ranking and climbed nearly 600 places in the ATP Rankings the following season, as his pro career kicked off with a bang.

“It has come pretty quickly,” he admitted. “It’s true that last year was my first as a professional and I won my first Challenger title in October. I’m happy that I managed to do it so quickly. There are many players who are developing and moving forward fast.”

Kecmanovic is hoping that his second trophy will come just as quickly as the first. One of four unseeded players in the San Francisco semis, he faces Jason Jung in Saturday’s nightcap. A $100,000 indoor hard-court event, the tournament is in its second year on the ATP Challenger Tour.

After reaching his first ATP World Tour quarter-final at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp, Michael Mmoh has set his sights on two milestone achievements in 2018. The 20-year-old American took time to address his targets for the season while competing at the ATP Challenger Tour event in San Francisco, this week. 

“One of my goals is to reach the Top 100,” said Mmoh, whose week at the Kunal Patel San Francisco Open culminated with a quarter-final finish. “That is something I am definitely [looking at] to start off with and then I would like to make the Next Gen ATP Finals as well.”

Mmoh watched the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in 2017 on TV, and hopes that this November he’ll be in Milan fighting for the chance to lift the “X” trophy and follow in the footsteps of South Korea’s Hyeon Chung.

“I thought the 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals was a cool event and that is why I am targeting it for this year. I want to play there. Being the best 21-and-under player in the world would give you tonnes of confidence, I think you can see in Chung’s game that he has a lot of confidence and believes in his game,” said Mmoh.

As one of five #NextGenATP Americans in the Top 200 of the ATP Rankings, the Florida-based star has a strong group of fellow players around him to push him towards both his goals this year. “It is a friendly competition,” said Mmoh. “We are all pretty good friends but we push each other in a healthy, competitive way. If I see Frances Tiafoe or Taylor Fritz doing well it just motivates me to do the same.”

Mmoh, a two-time winner on the Challenger circuit in Knoxville 2016 and Lexington 2017, is targeting a strong season after struggling with abdominal and shoulder injuries last year. He didn’t wait long for his ATP World Tour breakthrough, streaking to the last eight in Brisbane to start the year behind wins over Federico Delbonis and Mischa Zverev.

“Those were my first two ATP World Tour level wins, so I was super excited to get that,” explained Mmoh. “That was one of my goals in the off-season for 2018. I think it was a big moment for me, stepping up to tour-level and getting a couple of wins. Hopefully I can keep going and get a couple more wins in 2018.”

The three-set victory over Zverev gave the American great confidence moving forwards, and Mmoh revealed he is already seeing the benefits of that newfound belief in his results at the Challenger level.

“That win gave me tonnes of confidence,” said Mmoh. “Even more confidence than if I’d have beaten him 6-2, 6-3. It was the fact that I outlasted him in a way, in a three-set battle. That gave me tonnes of confidence from a fitness and mental standpoint. I was really proud that I pulled that one off.

“I know what I am capable of and going back to the ATP Challenger Tour I have higher expectations and more confidence. I don’t think that if I hadn’t had the week in Brisbane that I had, that I would have beat Cameron Norrie [in Newport Beach]. The extra confidence did me a lot of good.”

That surge in confidence, combined with a newly adapted serve for 2018, gives Mmoh a great chance of rising well above his current ATP Ranking of No. 163 and challenging for a place in both the Next Gen ATP Finals and the Top 100.

“I worked on my serve,” said Mmoh. “I made a couple of changes to my technique and motion and it has really been paying off. This year I’ve been serving really well and after that my whole game just starts clicking and then automatically I’m more aggressive.”