Some players struggle to find real world success straight out of college, but that hasn’t been the case for reigning NCAA champion Mackenzie McDonald.

Since turning pro in June after completing his junior year at UCLA, the 21-year-old American has found his footing on the ATP Challenger Tour and is now producing big results in his home state of California. McDonald reached the semi-finals last week at the $100,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Tiburon, matching his result there last year.

At this week’s $100,000 Challenger in Stockton, McDonald ousted second seed and fellow American Tim Smyczek in the second round, an identical result to the win he produced at last year’s $100,000 Challenger in Sacramento. He’s quickly learned that unlike his college days, he can’t get away with playing a loose point or service game to beat the world’s best players.

“Tennis is really an errors game and the guys make less mistakes at this level than in college or ITF Futures,” said McDonald. “They have a couple of more weapons to help them win free points, so you have to be on for every match.”

College players have been enjoying success this year on the ATP Challenger Tour, with the most recent example being Ohio State University player Mikael Torpegaard winning his first Challenger title last month on his home campus in Columbus, Ohio. Although McDonald said he now faces tougher competition in the pros, he believes his time at UCLA brought him to a place where he can succeed at this level.

“I played a lot of matches and had a lot of wins, which builds confidence,” he said last August. “It was a good stepping stone of playing at a level that’s higher than the juniors, but that also allowed me to get ready for the pros.”

But now that McDonald is able to treat tennis like a job, he’s finding it far easier to shore up the holes in his game while also building on his strengths. With no Emirates ATP Ranking points to defend in the first half of next year, it’s a safe bet that he’ll be making a significant dent on his current standing of No. 374.

“I have way more time on my hands to focus on tennis,” said McDonald. “Before I was taking classes, being social, being with the team. I think I’m improving a lot more quickly now and just really enjoying it.”

Second seed Rafael Nadal overcame a mid-match surge from Adrian Mannarino on Thursday at the China Open, prevailing in a tight second set to advance in their second-round match under the lights, 6-1, 7-6(6).

“I think I played a fantastic first set. Great level of tennis, serving very good, hitting so good. During the second set, I slowed the rhythm a little bit and he played very well,” said Nadal. “I feel very happy that I won that tie-break. I think I played with the right amount of determination in the tie-break. It’s very important for my confidence to pass through these tough moments.”

The 2005 China Open champion was initially ruthless against Mannarino, breaking the Frenchman three times as he won nine of the first 11 games. But Mannarino rallied from 1-3 in the second set to bring things back on serve at 3-3 and eventually force a tie-break. Nadal was unable to make good on a 5/3 lead or a match point on Mannarino’s serve at 6/5, but earned a mini-break to go up 7/6 and closed out the contest on his second match point.

Nadal has been in top form this week, dropping just nine games in his first two matches. Currently in eighth place in the Emirates ATP Race to London, a title here will go a long way in shoring up his spot at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Next up for Nadal is Grigor Dimitrov, who was two points away from defeat in the second set before clawing back to upset sixth seed Lucas Pouille, 6-7(3), 7-6(0), 6-4. Nadal has dominated their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 7-0, but four of those matches have gone to a deciding set.

“He’s a great player that is playing well. He’s one of the players on tour with high potential,” said Nadal. “I know I have to play my best tennis to win against him, so I’m trying to focus on that.” 

Watch Dimitrov Interview

The Bulgarian was dangerously close to defeat when Pouille served for the match at 5-4, 30/15 in the second set. But the Frenchman faltered and Dimitrov fought his way back into contention, claiming the next three points to level and dominating the ensuing tie-break. A break of serve in the fifth game of the third set proved decisive for Dimitrov as he claimed a hard fought victory in two hours and 26 minutes.

“I just believed today,” said Dimitrov. “Especially in the second set, when he was serving for the match. I felt I was playing good tennis. I just missed a few opportunities early on and throughout the second he was playing really good. All I could do was stay composed, try to hit every ball that I could and use every opportunity. They came a bit late, but I’m pretty happy with it.”

Dimitrov claimed his 34^th win of the season. The Bulgarian has enjoyed a resurgence in the second half of the year, under the guidance of Dani Vallverdu. Since joining forces over the summer, Dimitrov has compiled a 14-5 mark, highlighted by a run to the Cincinnati semi-finals (l. to Cilic).

Through to his ninth quarter-final of the season, Dimitrov is bidding to reach his third final, following runner-up finishes in Sydney and Istanbul.

Second seeds Marcelo Melo and Lukasz Kubot reached the semi-finals of the China Open in Beijing after edging Wimbledon finalists Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 5-7, 6-3, 10-8 on Thursday.

The Brazilian/Polish duo are chasing their second title together after victory in Vienna last year (d. Murray/Peers).

“We’re happy to be in the semis here in Beijing,” said Melo. “We played really well today. It was a tough match. The French guys were playing really good. We hope we can continue playing the same way, as aggressive as we were, and we are enjoying the moment.”

They go on to face Jack Sock and Bernard Tomic, who also came from a set down to beat Paolo Lorenzi and Guido Pella 4-6, 6-4, 10-7 in 77 minutes. Both Sock and Tomic are bidding to win their first ATP World Tour doubles titles of the season.

“It’s always fun playing doubles with a good friend and I think that’s why we are doing well,” said Sock, who won the Beijing doubles crown last year with Vasek Pospisil. “We are keeping it light out there and playing good tennis because of it.”

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Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships 2016 – Tokyo, Japan

Nick Kyrgios, Gael Monfils, Kevin Anderson, Yoshihito Nishioka, John Peers and more played “sushi roulette” to find out which player gets the lucky (or unlucky?) sushi roll filled with wasabi. The star who got the spicy treat also won a prize! 

Kei Nishikori, Feliciano Lopez, Monfils, Benoit Paire, Marcos Baghdatis, Marin Cilic, Ivo Karlovic, Nishioka, Taro Daniel, Anderson, Yuichi Sugita and Fernando Verdasco were on hand for ATP Sunday Charity Day, a tradition at the Rakuten Open, which sees packed crowds watch players practise ahead of the tournament.

Gilles Muller, Peers and Henri Kontinen helped out at an Emirates Clinic. 

China Open – Beijing, China

Andy Murray, Milos Raonic and Rafael Nadal were among the players to enjoy the China Open Official Government Reception, hosted at Beijing National Stadium, also known as the iconic Bird’s Nest.

Rohan Bopanna and Daniel Nestor helped out at Mercedes Benz Kids’ Day, while Nadal stopped by to take selfies with the children.

Murray, Adrian Mannarino, Lucas Pouille, Dominic Thiem, Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Ze Zhang, Alexander Zverev, Andre Begemann, Florian Mayer, Steve Johnson, Julien Benneteau, Pablo Carreno Busta, Kyle Edmund, Pablo Cuevas, Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan and Roberto Bautista Agut were among the stars to meet fans on-site for selfies and autographs.

Jack Sock, Raonic, Pouille, Sam Querrey and Andreas Seppi spent time on-site with sponsors.