Tennis Players Set to Climb the Rankings Before 2014 Season Ends
Hope and potential are the customary end-of-season buzzwords upon which players can cling on to if they wish. Yet, there is an element of sincerity to this. For any player looking to climb the rankings before the conclusion of 2014, a strong finish to the year is essential.
Basel, Valencia, Luxembourg and Paris are among the locations at which ranking points will be earned.
David Goffin's prolific form since being beaten by Andy Murray at Wimbledon should be put to the test against sterner opposition.
Sabine Lisicki will hope the good feeling from winning in Hong Kong filters through to her tournament in Luxembourg, despite defeat in Linz to Karin Knapp. A late surge may be enough to see her gain ground on the top 20.
There are still prevalent issues to be resolved at the top of the rankings; however, this list will focus primarily upon those aiming to test the water occupied by those nearer the summit.
David Goffin
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To say Goffin has been in strong form the last three months is the equivalent of labeling John McEnroe "passionate" about umpires' decisions.
The Belgian is the man to beat on the Challenger Tour. His win in Mons made him the fifth man to win 20 consecutive matches on the tour, per ATPWorldTour.com.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Joao Sousa were among those beaten as Goffin won in Metz, adding to the other title he won on the ATP tour in Kitzbuhel.
Wins at Scheveningen, Poznan and Tampere elsewhere on the Challenger circuit have made Goffin an exciting prospect for 2015.
Should the 23-year-old compete in any of the remaining tournaments of the year, it would be difficult for an opponent to curb the momentum currently fueling him.
That isn't to say he will take home another trophy. Sterner opposition will lie in wait should he be involved in Basel or Valencia.
Carl Bialik of FiveThirtyEight.com observed prior to the win in Mons that "Goffin has earned more ranking points since Wimbledon than five members of the Top 10."
Of course, the standard of opposition must be considered. Yet, it is hard to deny that Goffin's trajectory can only go upwards before bidding farewell to 2014.
Martin Klizan
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The man beating his chest on the court in Beijing knew everyone would sit up and take notice.
Martin Klizan, fresh from beating Rafael Nadal, is starting to move at rapid pace.
Kei Nishikori, Tommy Haas and Nadal have all been undone by the left-handed Slovakian in 2014.
A steady year in which he reached the semi-final in Beijing and won in Munich has seen Klizan protrude from the middle order.
His victory over Nadal in China was exquisite. The Spaniard had beaten him in four sets at Wimbledon in June. The fiery Klizan would not go down so easily in the Far East.
He has surged through to No. 40 in the rankings and has a chance to better that in the Erste Bank Open this week.
Klizan begins against Germany's Benjamin Becker, with Dominic Thiem or Robin Haase to come in the second round.
The 25-year-old has already beaten Haase once this year. His new-found confidence could take him to at least the round of 16.
Another semi-final appearance in quick succession could see the man who started the year at No. 107 move up at least three places, rounding off a strong season.
Sabine Lisicki
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Lisicki finally put to bed her three-year absence from the WTA winner's list last month.
Victory against Karolina Pliskova in Hong Kong meant she had won her first WTA title since Dallas in 2011.
Lisicki may still be far from flavour of the month, even if she wins in Luxembourg, due to her indifferent form in Asia. Yet, she will give herself the chance to gain some momentum and climb the rankings.
She begins against Daniela Hantuchova and, should she beat the Slovakian, will meet a qualifier in the second round.
Andrea Petkovic may lay in wait in the semi-finals, but Lisicki will be driven by the fact that a second title in the space of a month will edge her closer to the top 20.
Two hundred and eighty points are on offer to the winner, but even a finalist berth could potentially move her up three places to 22. The current world No. 25 will be eager to return to the form that enabled her to reach the Wimbledon final last year.
Victory in Luxembourg would be a step in the right direction.
If Lisicki is to return from Luxembourg victorious, she will need to improve points won on her own second serve. Of those points, 42.3 percent have been won by the German, compared to the 56.3 percent she has won on her opponents' second serve, per WTATennis.com.
Fine margins such as this could be crucial if she is to lift her second title of the season.
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Gilles Simon
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Shanghai promised much for Gilles Simon but eventually left him in the shadow of tennis' evergreen icon.
Roger Federer edged a tight final 7-6 7-6, leaving one of the in-form men on the ATP tour still chasing his first trophy of the season.
A semi-final place in Tokyo and a runner-up finish in Shanghai should see Simon make strides towards the top 20.
The Associated Press wrote (via the Times Colonist) that Simon "has been reborn" following his results of late.
Tomas Berdych was also beaten by Simon in Shanghai, with the Czech bowing out in the quarter-finals. There is no doubting the resurgence that the 29-year-old is experiencing.
However, he will be desperate to maintain such form long enough to be able to make an impression at the Australian Open early next year.
If he continues to play tennis in the same vein and climb the rankings, at least matching his quarter-final appearance in 2009 could be a possibility.
Discussing scant consolation after a defeat, particularly in a final, is almost anathema for an athlete. Yet, Simon's endeavours over the past couple of weeks have not been for nothing. The top 20 is calling.
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