A week ago, #NextGenATP American Ernesto Escobedo had never won an ATP World Tour match on clay. Safe to say he’s now enjoying the surface.

The 20 year old advanced to his first ATP World Tour semi-final on Friday, knocking out second seed and 2013 champion John Isner 7-6(6), 6-7(6), 7-6(5) at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. US Men’s Clay Court Championship in Houston.

“I’m speechless right now. I can’t believe it. It was a very long match, three tie-breaks. I just stuck with it. I just told myself it’s going to happen, just keep on pushing, stay mentally tough,” Escobedo said.

The right-hander notched an ace out wide on his seventh match point to finish off Isner, who delivered a tournament-record 35 aces in the three-hour and two-minute quarter-final. Escobedo improved to 5-0 in matches decided by tie-breaks, including four ATP Challenger Tour contests. Isner, meanwhile, is 3-10 in deciding set tie-breaks since the start of the 2016 season.

Escobedo, who received a wild card into the main draw, will meet Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci, who came back from a break down in the third set to beat third seed Sam Querrey 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. The semi-final will be Bellucci’s first in Houston and second of the season. He also reached the last four in Quito. “I’m feeling well. I think it was my best match this week,” he said.

Top seed Jack Sock became the first 20-match winner on the ATP World Tour in 2017 with a 7-6(6), 1-6, 6-4 victory against Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. Sock, the 2015 champion, reaches the Houston semi-finals for the third consecutive year.

He will face compatriot Steve Johnson for the sixth time overall and the third time this season. Sock leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 4-1 and has won both of their 2017 meetings.

Johnson beat fifth seed Fernando Verdasco for the first time in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. Verdasco had won their past four contests but Johnson saved both break points faced to roll to a 6-2, 6-4 win. “I found my footing great today. I served well, got out of jams, made a lot of first serves,” said Johnson, who’s through to his first ATP World Tour clay court semi-final.

Rafael Nadal will have two championship themes on his mind when the clay swing heats up in Monte-Carlo, beginning on Sunday: the opportunity to win three tournaments for a record 10^th time in his career, and the chance to catch Roger Federer and take over the No. 1 spot in the Emirates ATP Race To London.

Nadal, who’s climbed to No. 2 in the Race with final runs in Australia and Miami, can’t catch Federer at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, the season’s first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay court tournament. But another crown in the Principality – and the 1,000 Race points that come with it – would go a long way towards pushing the Spaniard ahead of the Swiss.

The 35-year-old Federer currently leads Nadal by 1,810 points in the Race. But Federer plans to rest until Roland Garros, which starts 28 May, and, given Nadal’s past success before Roland Garros, the Spaniard could very well catch Federer before Paris.

See Who’s Chasing Federer, Nadal

Since 2009, Nadal has gained an average of 2,448 points at the four biggest clay tournaments before Roland Garros: the three Masters 1000 tournaments – Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, Mutua Madrid Open, Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome – and the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell, an ATP World Tour 500 event. At the four tournaments, Nadal has won a combined 29 titles.

Nadal On Clay Leading Into Roland Garros

The Spaniard has looked confident during the first three months of the season. He started the year by racing to the Australian Open title match (l. to Federer) and backed it up with a final run in Acapulco (l. to Querrey). Earlier this month, Nadal made his fifth Miami Open presented by Itau final before again falling to Federer.

“I think I am close to what I need to be. I am at a very high level of tennis and I believe I am ready to win titles,” Nadal said. “I’m playing well enough to fight for everything. I have good hopes that I going to be ready for Monte-Carlo… If I am ready for that, I think I am very excited about playing back on clay again.”

The 30 year old has won the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters a record nine times. He returns as the defending champion after beating Frenchman Gael Monfils during last year’s final.

Most Titles At A Single Tournament (Open Era)

Should Nadal claim the top spot in the Race, it’s likely he will have captured at least one title from either Monte-Carlo, Barcelona or Roland Garros – the three events he has won a record nine times each. The Spaniard is the only player in the Open Era to have won a tournament nine times. If he were to win the trio of tournaments for a record 10^th time, he’d stamp his legacy on the game – and on the clay – once more.

“I am very happy about the first part of the season on hard courts before the clay arrives. I won a lot of matches. I have a lot of points. I am in a privileged position of the Race,” Nadal said. “That’s great news for me and gives me calm to play the next couple of tournaments.” 

Miomir Kecmanovic continues to break new ground in 2017. The Junior World No. 1 is currently embarking on his professional career, hoping to follow in the footsteps of countryman Novak Djokovic.

A host of recent juniors, the likes of #NextGenATP players Denis Shapovalov, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas to name a few, are enjoying recent success on the ATP Challenger Tour. Kecmanovic is certainly on the right track to join the group and break into the Top 200 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

This week in Mexico at the San Luis Open, the 17 year old is truly making strides. A 6-2, 7-5 victory over #NextGenATP player Stefan Kozlov, in a rain interrupted contest, was backed up by a fighting 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 win over World No. 275 Emilio Gomez on Thursday to book a quarter-final spot in just his second Challenger main draw appearance.

“It feels great, especially as I started playing fully professional this year, not juniors anymore. I think this will help me a lot in the future and boost my confidence,” said Kecmanovic.

“I beat a very good player in the first round, so I’m very happy. I played pretty solid in both matches, I made them play everything, I didn’t give too many free points away. That was the plan from the start, so I’m really happy to make that happen.”

The win over Kozlov was his first on the ATP Challenger Tour. In doing so, Kecmanovic became the second-youngest player to win a match at this level in 2017 (17 year and 7 months), only behind Felix Auger Aliassime, and he is determined to keep this run going in Mexico.

Youngest Match Winners In 2017

“It’s a really nice tournament. I’m really grateful for the wildcard and the opportunity,” added the Serbian. “I’ve been coming to Mexico a lot, so it feels great to be here again. I just hope to play well, the key is to compete.”

In 2013 Kecmanovic left Serbia to accept an invitation join the IMG Academy in Florida, U.S.A., accompanied by his Aunt Tanja Pavlov, and it seems four years of hard work have paid off.

The signs have been promising for a couple of years for the 17 year old. Kecmanovic won the prestigious U18 Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships in 2015. Roger Federer won the title in 1998, Dominic Thiem was the champion in 2011, but Kecmanovic also returned to defend his title in 2016. A final showing at the junior US Open last year (l. Auger Aliassime) culminated with Kecmanovic finishing his junior career ranked No. 1.

In January he won his first event of the year, clinching the Futures F4 title (d. Lindell) in Florida. In March, at the Miami Open presented by Itau, he ousted then World No. 117 Henri Laaksonen in a qualifying match.

Despite finishing his Junior career ranked at No. 1, Kecmanovic insists plenty of hard graft is required to maintain his fledging development.

“I think mentally I need to get a little bit more stable and to stay more focused throughout matches. I can upgrade my fitness and work hard on everything in general,” added the World No. 608. “It’s very different from the juniors, where I was top seed, then coming into these tournaments, I maybe have to go through qualies, then facing the top guys, it’s a lot more physical and a much more demanding mentally. Hopefully I adapt soon.”

The victories in San Luis prove his potential, but Kecmanovic is surprised by his recent success. “Honestly, I didn’t think it would start this good,” revealed the Serbian. “I won my first pro title at the beginning of the year. It’s going better than expected and hopefully it can stay that way.”

He has been lucky enough to sometimes train with World No. 2 Djokovic. If Kecmanovic keeps up this pace, he could be facing Serbia’s tennis talisman on a match court soon.

Rafael Nadal has a tough task if he is to lift an incredible 10th trophy at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, following the 2017 draw ceremony at the Jardin Exotique on Friday. The Spanish star, who is vying to capture a record 50th clay-court career crown, has been drawn in the same half as two-time former titlist Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov.

Nadal, who will meet Daniel Evans or Kyle Edmund in the second round, could face No. 14 seed Alexander Zverev in the third round, prior to a quarter-final against No. 8 seed Dimitrov. Nadal overcame Zverev in five sets in the Australian Open third round in January, while he has an 8-1 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Dimitrov, including a pulsating five-set win in the Melbourne semi-finals.

Nadal has won 28 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, second only to Djokovic, who has a record 30 pieces of Masters 1000 silverware. Nadal, who beat Gael Monfils in the 2016 final, won a record 46 straight matches at the prestigious tournament from 2005 to 2013 and is 58-4 overall.

View Monte-Carlo Singles Draw

World No. 1 Andy Murray, who has recovered from an elbow injury to complete in the Principality, will be hoping to replicate his successful clay form last year. The Scot has reached the Monte-Carlo semi-finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016. He will face good friend Gilles Muller or wild card Tommy Robredo in the second round, with a possible quarter-final against fifth seed Marin Cilic or ninth seed and 2015 runner-up Tomas Berdych.

World No. 2 Djokovic, who has a 28-8 record at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event – including titles in 2013 (d. Nadal) and 2015 (d. Berdych), will play Gilles Simon or Malek Jaziri in his first match. Thiem, who has won six of his eight ATP World Tour titles on red dirt, or No. 10 seed David Goffin loom in the last eight.

Stan Wawrinka, the 2014 champion, who is in the same half of the draw as Murray, will challenge Mischa Zverev or Jiri Vesely in the second round. Seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a semi-finalist in 2013 and 2016, or No. 11 seed Lucas Pouille may pose a threat to the Swiss in the quarter-finals.

There are a number of #NextGen ATP players competing at the third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of the season. Alexander Zverev, who is currently at No. 20 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, faces wild card Andreas Seppi, Russian Karen Khachanov plays Nicolas Mahut, Daniil Medvedev challenges Feliciano Lopez and Borna Coric meets fellow wild card Jeremy Chardy.

Cast your mind back to Mexico in 1980. Most players were still plying their trade with wooden racquets when the inaugural event of the longest-running ATP Challenger Tour event, the San Luis Open, took place at the historic Club Deportivo Potosino, one of the most renowned sports clubs in the country.

This week the San Luis Open, one of seven Challengers to debut in the 1980s that’s still in existence today, is celebrating its 31st edition.

“I think it’s so special because it’s the oldest tournament on the Challenger tour. Great players have come here, we’ve had a former World No. 1 play here (Marcelo Rios played his last competitive match here in 2004), we get top junior players,” said Tournament Director Carlos Saiz Diaz Infante. “They like to come here because it’s a very nice site and we have a very good crowd here every day.”

The reputation of the tournament has built incrementally over the years, which Infante believes is due to the dedication of those behind the scenes.

“I think the tournament has managed to last so long because people working on the tournament have done an amazing job,” added Infante. “The team that has worked through the years, from the beginning, the founders, to all the people who have offered helped have done a great job.”

Longest-Running Tournaments On ATP Challenger Tour

The Club Deportivo Potosino manages to host hordes of ardent tennis supporters throughout the week-long event.

“I think it’s a really good tournament, with a long, impressive history,” said #NextGenATP player Stefan Kozlov. “It’s a very nice club to play at, with a phenomenal crowd, even in the night matches.”

The welcoming atmosphere and passionate crowds keep the players returning to the Mexican tennis scene.

“This tournament is very special for me. I’ve been coming here the past five years and I reached my first Challenger semi-final here in 2014 and my first final last year (l.Krstin),” said seventh seed Marcelo Arevalo. “It has given me a lot of experiences and great memories. This week, I’m still alive in singles and doubles and I’m giving 100 per cent in every match. I’m dreaming of winning this title, because it’s one of my favourite Challengers and is very well organised, it feels great.”

Kozlov, currently at No. 135 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, believes performing well at this level is vital for a player’s long-term development.

“I think it’s a great springboard into the ATP Tour. It’s tough to get there, you have to build your way up,” explained the 19-year-old. “All of those players have been on the Challenger Tour, some have played less, but I think it’s great. You don’t have the big guys here, which gives you more of a chance to play more matches.

“It’s a process, it’s going to take time to achieve your goals. It won’t all happen overnight. You just have to keep working hard, discipline is very important.”