The first week of February has continued to bring good fortune to Australian Blake Mott.

It was almost exactly 12 months ago that the rising Aussie, ranked No. 721 in the Emirates ATP Rankings at the time, came out of nowhere to win his first ATP Challenger Tour at the $75,000 event in Launceston, Australia. The victory also made him the fifth lowest-ranked Challenger winner since 2000.

This week, he’s into the second Challenger final of his career and it once again comes on home soil. Competing at the $75,000 event in Burnie, Mott defeated fourth seed Mohamed Safwat of Egypt and eighth seed Akira Santillan of Japan on his way to another championship clash against fellow Aussie Omar Jasika.

“We put in a lot of work during the pre-season and I feel like I’m always really fit at this time of year. The body is in good shape after having had a long break at the end of the year as well,” explained Mott about his repeat February success. “Plus I love the courts and love my people in Australia! It’s definitely good to start off the year like this.”

Mott enjoyed another career milestone last month at the Australian Open, taking full advantage of a qualifying wild card to advance into his first Grand Slam main draw. He then had his first experience battling against a Top 20 player in his opening round match against Richard Gasquet.

“That was probably one of the biggest occasions of my life in tennis. It was a big moment for me and my family. I loved every minute of it,” said Mott. “To qualify and know that I earned my spot in the main draw, then go up against a player like Gasquet, were both great experiences for me. I’m just loving playing tennis at the moment and enjoying competing.”

With minimal Emirates ATP Rankings points to defend for the next six months, Mott is aiming to crack the Top 200 and continue climbing from there. But regardless of what happens in the final against Jasika, he’s only taking positives from his week in Burnie.

“I really like coming here. It’s a nice little town and they have great facilities,” said Mott. “Australian players are basically on the road from March to October, so to have Burnie and Launceston back on the calendar is great for us to have a bit more extra time at home.”

SERBIA 2, RUSSIA 0

Venue: Cair Sports Center, Nis, Serbia (Indoor Hard)

World No. 2 Novak Djokovic fought off a stern challenge from #NextGenATP star Daniil Medvedev, giving Serbia a convincing 2-0 lead when Medvedev retired due to a leg issue. Djokovic was leading 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 1-0.

Djokovic fired 21 winners and accumulated seven breaks of serve in the contest. He improved his Davis Cup singles record to 30-7.

In the first match of the tie, Viktor Troicki saved a match point in the fifth-set tie-breaker to complete a dramatic 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(6) victory over another #NextGenATP star in Karen Khachanov.

Russia defeated Serbia 3-2 in the only other Davis Cup meeting between these two teams, a 2008 World Group first-round tie in Moscow.

GERMANY 1, BELGIUM 1

Venue: Fraport Arena, Frankfurt, Germany (Indoor Hard)

Belgium may be the on-paper underdogs in this tie, but Steve Darcis showed they’re capable of winning this weekend by scoring a surprise 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(5) comeback victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber. Darcis needed just under four hours to complete the win.

#NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev leveled the tie for Germany with a far-less complicated 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 win over Arthur De Greef. With Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff suffering from a stomach bug, it’s possible that Zverev could suit up for the doubles rubber with his brother Mischa Zverev.

Germany has won all eight previous match-ups against Belgium, most recently in 2007 with a 3-2 victory in the quarter-finals.

CANADA 1, GREAT BRITAIN 1

Venue: TD Place Arena, Ottawa, Canada (Indoor Hard)

Dan Evans scored his first victory in a live rubber by defeating Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. The Brit needed just one hour and 50 minutes to complete the victory.

Vasek Pospisil delighted the home crowd by leveling the tie at 1-1 with a 6-4, 6-1, 7-6(3) upset over Kyle Edmund. The Canadian caught fire at 4-4 in the opening set by winning eight of the next nine games. The doubles rubber on Saturday will prove to be critical in this tie as Jamie Murray/Dominic Inglot take on Daniel Nestor/Pospisil

UNITED STATES 2, SWITZERLAND 0

Venue: Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, Birmingham, Alabama (Indoor Hard)

Jack Sock got Team USA off to an ideal start by winning the first rubber 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 over veteran Marco Chiudinelli. Sock hammered 12 aces and 29 winners to complete the victory in just under two hours.

John Isner brought the United States to a 2-0 lead by rallying from a set down to move past Henri Laaksonen 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(1)-. Isner fired 28 aces and no double faults to finish off a solid day for the American squad.

Steve Johnson/Sam Querrey will look to wrap up the tie for on Saturday when they take on Adrien Bossel/Antoine Bellier.

AUSTRALIA 2, CZECH REPUBLIC 0
Venue: Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, Melbourne, AUS (hard – outdoor)

Australia, the 28-time champion, has taken a commanding 2-0 lead against the Czech Republic at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club, the former venue of the Australian Open.

World No. 65 Jordan Thompson admitted it was “unbelievably satisfying” and “the best feeling in my life, I reckon,” after he made a winning start on his Davis Cup debut by beating Jiri Vesely 6-3, 6-3, 6-4. Nick Kyrgios later hit 21 aces to beat Czech Jan Satral 6-2, 6-3, 6-2.

“Tommo handled the situation brilliantly today and played some great tennis,” said former World No. 1 and Australia’s captain Lleyton Hewitt. “He’s done the work and he put in a massive pre-season before the Australian summer and this was his reward. It was a really professional job by Nick today to go out there and get the job done, and to walk away putting us 2-0 up.”

JAPAN 0, FRANCE 2
Venue: Ariake Colosseum, Tokyo, JPN (hard – indoor)

Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon have put nine-time titlist France into a 2-0 lead against Japan at the Ariake Colosseum, venue of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2017 and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics tennis event. World No. 18 Gasquet defeated Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, while Simon overcame No. 85-ranked Yoshihito Nishioka 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.

Japan and France have met three times previously, but only once since 1927. In that most recent meeting, in 1981, France recorded a 4-1 win at Roland Garros. Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert, the top two players in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings, will compete for France in Saturday’s doubles rubber.

Next Gen ATP star Quentin Halys produced breakout results in 2016, but is looking to take his game to an even higher level this season. 

The 20-year-old Frenchman is off to a promising start in achieving that goal. He’s delighted the home crowd at this week’s $50,000 event in Quimper, powering through Miljan Zekic of Serbia and Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia to reach the quarter-finals. Halys will now play another Russian in qualifier Aslan Karatsev for a place in the final four.

“Quimper has made some good improvements since last year,” said Halys. “There’s a new area on-site with three courts, a very nice centre court and everything you need is right here. It’s now on the same level as the best French Challengers and ATP World Tour 250 events.”

Halys enjoyed a breakthrough 2016 season on the ATP Challenger Tour, winning his first Challenger in April in Tallahassee, Florida, and finishing runner-up in October in Fairfield, California. He also won his opening-round match at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Open 13 Marseille.

But while the Frenchman has enjoyed a taste of success at the world’s biggest tournaments, he hopes to make that a more permanent occurrence in 2017.

“I learned a lot last year, so I think I can do great things in the ATP [World Tour] events this year. I’ve worked very hard to be more regular at this level,” said Halys. “My goal is to be more serious during all of my matches, focusing on myself and my side of the court and not looking at my opponent.”

Halys is also looking ahead to the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. He’s hoping to be one of the rising stars that qualifies, but knows he will need to produce the best season of his young career in order to make it there.

“It’s definitely an amazing tournament for all of the Next Gen ATP players,” said Halys. “Being there would mean I had a great, consistent year with a high ranking. There will be eight great guys playing there, so it’s going to be a very competitive event.”

The 2017 Davis Cup kicks off this weekend with eight exciting World Group first-round ties being held across the globe. From familiar faces to Davis Cup rookies, the 16 teams in action include an attractive mix of the world’s top players and rising stars of the sport. 

ARGENTINA vs. ITALY

Parque Sarmiento, Buenos Aires, Argentina (Clay)

Defending champions Argentina will have the home crowd on its side as they face a tough Italian team in their opening round tie. Argentina leads 2-1 in their Davis Cup head-to-head against Italy.

Juan Martin del Potro remains sidelined due to fitness concerns, but the Argentine team will be led by experienced Davis Cuppers Guido Pella and Carlos Berlocq. Italy will have Paolo Lorenzi and Fabio Fognini flying the flag in singles.

Berlocq is tied 1-1 in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalries with Lorenzi and Fognini. The Argentine ousted Lorenzi at last year’s Roland Garros, but the Italian gained revenge at the US Open. Both matches between Berlocq and Fognini have been held in Argentina, with Fognini prevailing during a 2014 first round Davis Cup tie in Argentina, and Berlocq scoring a win the following year at the Argentina Open.

GERMANY vs. BELGIUM

Fraport Arena, Frankfurt, Germany (Indoor Hard)

Germany has a dominant 8-0 record against Belgium going into this tie, with veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber and #NextGenATP star Alexander Zverev leading the way. Belgium is represented in singles by Arthur De Greef and Steve Darcis.

Belgium reached the Davis Cup final in 2015 (l. Great Britain), their first time achieving that feat since 1904. Germany has won three Davis Cup titles (1988, 1989, 1993).

AUSTRALIA vs. CZECH REPUBLIC

Kooyong Stadium, Melbourne, Australia (Hard)

Twenty-eight time champion Australia takes on three-time champion Czech Republic for the ninth time (7-1). Their last meeting came in 2015, which saw the Aussies advance 3-2 in a World Group first-round tie on Czech soil.

Nick Kyrgios, currently No. 15 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, and Jordan Thompson will play for Australia in singles and take on Jiri Vesely and Jan Satral. Kyrgios is 4-3 in Davis Cup singles action, while Vesely is 3-6.

Doubles will also play a critical role in the tie, with Grand Slam champions John Peers (w/Sam Groth) and Radek Stepanek (w/Zdenek Kolar) facing off in Kooyong.

UNITED STATES vs. SWITZERLAND

Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, Birmingham, Alabama (Indoor Hard)

Team USA will not have a familiar doubles squad in Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, with the brothers retiring from Davis Cup competition after 14 years. They’ll still be represented by a solid team that includes four Top 35 players in Jack Sock, John Isner, Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson. A mix of new and experienced Davis Cup players headline the Swiss team, with veterans Marco Chiudinelli and Henri Laaksonen joining relatively new players in Adrien Bossel and Antoine Bellier.

The United States shut out Switzerland 5-0 in the most recent meeting between these teams, a 2012 World Group first-round tie that included Isner defeating Roger Federer in four sets on Swiss soil.

JAPAN vs. FRANCE

Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan (Indoor Hard)

This tie will be a battle of youth against experience, with #NextGenATP star Yoshihito Nishioka and Taro Daniel taking on Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon in the singles rubbers. Reigning Wimbledon champions Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut will also suit up for France in doubles against Yuichi Sugita/Yasutaka Uchiyama.

France leads the head-to-head against Japan 3-0, but they haven’t played since 1981. France has won nine Davis Cup titles, most recently in 2001.

CANADA vs. GREAT BRITAIN

TD Place Arena, Ottawa, Canada (Indoor Hard)

An attractive tie in the Canadian capital city will see teenager Denis Shapovalov and Vasek Pospisil playing singles for Canada as they take on Kyle Edmund and Daniel Evans. The doubles rubber is guaranteed to be a firecracker, with Jamie Murray/Dominic Inglot facing Daniel Nestor/Pospisil.

Great Britain last won the Davis Cup in 2015, giving the team its first title in 79 years. Canada’s best result is a semi-final showing in 2013, matching the feat they accomplished in 1913.

SERBIA vs. RUSSIA

Cair Sports Center, Nis, Serbia (Indoor Hard)

World No. 2 Novak Djokovic leads the Serbian squad on home soil, and is joined in singles by Viktor Troicki. A pair of #NextGenATP players, Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev, will battle for Russia in singles action.

Although Serbia is the on-paper favourite, both Medvedev and Khachanov lead Troicki in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalries 1-0. Medvedev scored a win this past October in Moscow, while Khachanov prevailed this past September in Chengdu.

Russia defeated Serbia 3-2 in the only other Davis Cup meeting between these teams, a 2008 World Group first round tie in Moscow.

CROATIA vs. SPAIN

Gradski Vrt Hall, Osijek, Croatia (Indoor Hard)

Spain, back in the World Group for the first time since 2014, are heavy favourites in this tie with a solid team that includes Pablo Carreno Busta and Roberto Bautista Agut for singles, and Feliciano Lopez/Marc Lopez for doubles. Franko Skugor and Ante Pavic will look to the home crowd to help lead them to upset victories in singles, while Marin Draganja/Nikola Mektic will do the same in doubles.

Spain has won the Davis Cup five times since 2000, most recently in 2011. Croatia produced an inspired 2016 Davis Cup season to reach the final before narrowly falling to Argentina.