Photo Credit: Corleve /Mark Peterson, Christopher Levy
ALEXANDER ZVEREV Age: 18 Key Stat: The former top-ranked junior has already reached two ATP semifinals.
THANASI KOKKINAKIS
HYEON CHUNG
Age: 19
Age: 19
Key Stat: Kokkinakis has posted a 15-1 record in qualifying play in 2015.
Key Stat: Chung produced a 14-match Challenger win streak during the spring.
Kokkinakis hasn’t had the breakout success of his older, brasher compatriot Nick Kyrgios. But the Adelaide native, who climbed more than 450 ranking spots in 2014, could one day be Australia’s top player.
Could the gifted baseliner from Suwon, South Korea be Asia’s next great player? He certainly has shown great potential. The 2013 Wimbledon junior finalist is very quick, very intelligent, and owns a backhand that is versatile, powerful and draws raves from fellow pros. This backhand is poised to make many ATP highlight reels in the future, trust us.
The 6’5” Aussie moves exceptionally well and sports an expansive reach. He’s a deft baseliner that plays a grinding game well-suited for hard courts. He departed Cincinnati ranked No. 79 with 11 main-draw Tour-level wins, but Kokkinakis has impressed the most in the clutch. He’s gone 3-1 in five-setters this year, and has managed two comebacks from two sets to love down.
Chung played through qualifying to reach the Houston round of 16, but he’s been most impressive on the Challenger tour this season, where his five finals and three titles have enabled him to rise 100 spots in the rankings to his perch of No. 73 earlier this month.
Picture a lazy lion lying on the jungle floor, swinging his tail playfully to and fro on a hot, sunny day—and then, SNAP, he rises and erupts into a sprint, reaching an explosive speed in a matter of seconds. That’s Alexander Zverev on a tennis court. Tall, long-limbed and rangy, he possesses a rare explosiveness and a surprisingly graceful manner of movement for his size. The former junior world No. 1 is flat-out electric. Zverev is comfortable on all surfaces, owns a tremendous two-handed backhand and likes to knock off volleys at net. The German can also hang back and match strokes from the baseline. Tennis is embedded in Zverev’s DNA — his father, Alexander, was a Russian pro and older brother Mischa is also a pro. Last year in Hamburg Zverev became the youngest ATP player to reach the quarterfinals of an ATP event since 2003. He was the first 17-year-old to finish inside the Top 150 since Rafael Nadal and Richard Gasquet did it in 2003. 2015 US OPEN PREVIEW 9