Ranking Nick Kyrgios and Young Tennis Stars Ready to Break out

It's an exciting time to be a tennis fan. With so many top young stars poised to break out over the course of the next few months, there's sure to be lots of heads rolling as old and new waves collide. But just who will top our list? Nick Kyrgios? Madison Keys?

We could well have a surprise in our final slide, too.

Now that the dust of the first Grand Slam of the year has settled, we can all set our sights on the French Open and beyond.

Although it might be a long way yet until May 24 rolls into view, there are a few rising candidates we can all count on to make a splash at Roland Garros.

And once the summer swings into action, the battle for superiority will once more begin as the up-and-coming stars do their best to prove they are far from flashes in the pan. 

Please note that players included here have largely been chosen based on their performances already this year, with the selection process weighted heavily in favour of displays in Melbourne Park.

Nevertheless, feel free to have your own say in the comments section about who you feel deserves a mention.

Honourable Mentions

Narrowing down a selection such as this can be an arduous process. There are quite a number of prodigious players who certainly deserve a mention for the way they've performed.

Because while form is captivating, so too is talk—and there has been quite a buzz surrounding Borna Coric, James Duckworth and CiCi Bellis.

Captivating hearts and minds, this young trio have ensured their names are never far from the conversation about the game's next best thing.

Exiting the Aussie Open in the first round to Jeremy Chardy, the 18-year-old Coric didn't give himself a great chance at proving his abilities, hence he's not made the grade on our list. But he's since shown signs of improvement with a win at the Marseille Open, and that bodes well for the future.

Already boasting a win over Rafael Nadal back in 2014, he was more than capable of keeping pace with the long rallies. Exhibiting tremendous composure and patience in the highlights above, the teenager clearly already has what it takes to make it.

Some might heartily disagree with the inclusion of Australian Duckworth as an honourable mention, but he can turn things around with a string of positive displays this year—after all, he's still only 23 years of age.

According to the The Courier Mail's Jay Clark back in 2012, Duckworth was a real handful for Janko Tipsarevic, and that was what signalled him to the world's media. But he needs to show more of a fight if he plans on challenging for silverware in the near future.

A quick look back at his loss to Roger Federer in the Brisbane International earlier this year shows a player that just couldn't keep up with the Swiss national. Slow to react and not quick enough across the court, the 23-year-old looked a shadow of his former promising self.

Lastly, CiCi Bellis is most definitely deserving of a mention. As reported by USA Today's Chris Chase, she became the youngest American to win a U.S. Open match in 24 years when she overcame Dominika Cibulkova.

Still incredibly young, the sky really is the limit for her, and with time on her side, we can expect her to make yet more splashes between now and the end of the year—who knows, she might even win a Slam before she reaches 20. 

5. Thanasi Kokkinakis

At the bottom end of our list sits Thanasi Kokkinakis, a player renowned for his bright attire—but is his future as dazzling?

Recent displays certainly suggest as much.

Exuding tremendous levels of confidence and self-belief for such a young man, "Special K" has his sights firmly set on breaking the mould.

And with such a strong mental frame, he'll be a fierce opponent for just about anyone on his day.

Clearly a big-game performer, the 18-year-old isn't going to let his apparent shortcomings get in his way once the Slams come back into focus once more, because he's sure to be hungrier and more driven than ever before.

Undone at times by his inexperience and absence of physicality—as he was against Samuel Groth at the start of the year—Kokkinakis is sure to have learned a lot since emerging as a threat. And he'll spend the time between Slams working towards ironing out the creases in his game.

Need proof of his matchday mentality? Take a look at his dramatic match point against Ernests Gulbis up above that sent the home fans into a frenzy.

Unshaken by the claustrophobic atmosphere, the Adelaide youngster coolly wrapped up the four-hour slog to send himself through to the next round. Indeed, the Herald Sun's Leo Schlink viewed the performance as one of a future Slam champion.

And with that positive characteristic up his sleeve, he'll have a great chance of toppling the older, more experienced order in the next few months.

And don't be at all surprised to see him push hard to further destabilise the "Big Four."

4. Bernard Tomic

Next up on our list is Australian Bernard Tomic.

Scaling the heights of the fourth round at the Aussie Open back in January, where he was felled by Tomas Berdych, the 22-year-old finally got the chance to put his bad-boy reputation behind him as he served up some scintillating tennis.

Powerful groundstrokes are a characteristic of his style that permeated his play in Melbourne. And in a match earlier this year against Philipp Kohlschreiber, we all caught more than a glimpse of his true talent as our primary video shows.

Hitting the ball comfortably on home soil, he reproduced similar displays and looked at ease despite the pressure that was undoubtedly on him at the time. 

More than capable of dealing with the unexpected, he had the necessary rebuttals at hand to deal with lobs, draining rallies and drop shots.

If he can steer clear of injury and can keep calm under stress, 2015 could be a massively productive year for the young man.

Not just a player for the future, Tomic is also one of the most exciting players to watch at present and gets the nod ahead of Kokkinakis due to his better results in the first Slam of the year.

3. Nick Kyrgios

Edging Tomic due to his quarter-final place, Nick Kyrgios was not only one of the best young stars on show at the Australian Open, he was one of the best, period.

Wowing the crowds with some breathtaking tennis, the fresh-faced Canberra native made the most of his time in the limelight.

And, according to reports from The Australian's Courtney Walsh, he's continuing to make his mark in the aftermath, too.

Truth be told, the energetic youngster isn't just good on the hard surfaces, either. Indeed, another look at the wondrous trick-shot against none other than Rafael Nadal from 2014 confirms that.

Clearly not lacking in confidence, he needs to ensure his exuberance acts as a strength rather than a personal obstacle to overcome.

After all, despite how incredibly talented he is, the 19-year-old has almost allowed his apparent arrogant persona to follow him like a spectre ever since he burst onto the scene.

But, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald's Chris Wilson, he is slowly but surely learning to become a more rounded person and a player while still maintaining his edge.

And that willingness to grow and adapt certainly hints at good things to come in the near future.

Who knows, glistening silverware might even beckon.

2. Eugenie Bouchard

At 20 years of age, Eugenie Bouchard's talent is still blooming and time is very much on her side.

Her performance at the Australian Open was a pretty good one as she reached the quarter-finals.

And the Canadian can hold her head high in the knowledge that she lost to eventual finalist Maria Sharapova.

Managing to overcome the controversial "twirl" comments made by an interviewer, she maintained her composure and did her best to deflect attention with her on-court battles.

Indeed, as reported by the National Post's Kaitlyn McGrath, Bouchard played the first Slam of the year without an official coach, which partially explains why she didn't make it even further.

Building on that resilience should be her next goal, because it's clear she still has room to improve.

And although that could be viewed as a negative, it's important the Canadian instead looks at it as a real positive.

As reported by CBC Sports' Mike Dennis, Bouchard would be wise to curb her aggressive play in an effort to cut down on unforced errors.

As highlights from her loss to Sharapova suggest, Dennis' assertions could well be right.

Approaching many of her shots with an unrelenting physical strength and speed, she could probably benefit from mixing up the pace of the rallies a little more.

By sprinkling them with extra drop shots and winners down the line, she could force some of her more accomplished opponents to make more errors.

Nevertheless, she makes the cut ahead of Kyrgios due to her better finish at the Aussie Slam. And with her weaknesses arguably more visible than most, she should make great headway this year.

1. Madison Keys

She might have lost in straight sets to Serena Williams in the Australian Open semi-finals, but to go crashing out to the eventual winner, and one of the greatest women to ever play the game, is nothing to be ashamed of.

And with so much talk of a new order vying to replace the old one, it's hard to look past Keys as the heir to the throne.

Already possessing open of the deadliest, and fastest, serves in the game—alongside her tenacious spirit—the American has all the necessary ingredients to go very far. 

Looking back at some of her play against both Williams sisters just a few short weeks ago underlines exactly how thumping her general play can be—and to do it against one of the most decorated players on the tour goes just some way towards highlighting her own strengths.

Although her serve is a crucial element to her approach, she doesn't allow it to smother other aspects of her game.

In short, she doesn't rely on it.

Just watch, above, how she bosses a crucial point against Serena.

Returning superbly, not allowing her opponent to dictate the pace of the rally, she fights back ever so well to save a point with some accurately placed shots.

At just 20 years of age, and currently sitting at No. 20 in the world rankings, she can make great strides between now and Roland Garros with more of the same performances, perhaps more so than Bouchard—who she beats to top spot here by virtue of losing to the eventual Aussie Open winner.

And with so much more time to prepare and improve for the U.S. Open at the end of the year, just imagine what she can do in front of her adoring fans.