Ranking the Most Surprising ATP Tour Event Winners in 2015
Despite the king of tennis leaving mere scraps for the rest, there have been enough surprises on the ATP tour in 2015 to keep those outsiders keen.
Victor Estrella Burgos' name transcended the sport when he sealed his first ATP Tour title in Ecuador, beating a formidable opponent in Feliciano Lopez in the final.
Jiri Vesely also sealed wins against higher-ranked opposition as he secured the Auckland title. The Czech has a way to go before reaching the level of countryman Tomas Berdych, but his success in New Zealand and defeat in the Bucharest final today means he is getting closer.
The following slides will rank the four most surprising title wins of the year.
4. Ivo Karlovic Wins at Delray Beach
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Possessing a 6'11" frame and at least 10 years of age over your nearest competitors has its disadvantages.
Yet Ivo Karlovic squeezed out all his experience and utilised every inch to win his first title in 19 months at Delray Beach in February.
Competing in a modest field, Karlovic opened with a three-set win over the dreadlocked-fireball Dustin Brown. He finished by beating the Americans' home hope Donald Young 6-3, 6-3.
At 36, the Croat also became the oldest player to win on the Tour since Jimmy Connors in 1989. Karlovic has hardly had a career to match Connors, but his refusal to slide down the rankings is admirable.
He sits sandwiched between David Goffin and Pablo Cuevas in 22nd place. Neither Goffin nor Cuevas are out of their 20s.
In the last six months, Novak Djokovic has repelled all who have challenged him with cutting backhands and screaming forehands. For that reason alone, it is important that shock wins like Karlovic's continue to rock the equilibrium.
3. Jiri Vesely Wins in New Zealand
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There's something strangely paradoxical about being in the top 50 on the ATP Tour.
You're at once isolated from the top order, whose unrelenting dominance is rarely broken, yet you're also surrounded by players who share the same ambition as you do.
There was something ironic, then, that Jiri Vesely should threaten to reduce the distance between himself and the top 20 by winning in one of the most remote countries in the world.
Ernests Gulbis and Kevin Anderson were both felled by the Czech before Adrian Mannarino was beaten 6-3, 6-2 in the Auckland final.
Given he has failed to progress past the first round of seven of his 11 tournaments this year, his achievement in New Zealand seems even greater.
Vesely posted on his Twitter account in February that he must "stay hungry" after his defeat to Fabio Fognini in Rio. More results like the one in Auckland should continue to whet his appetite in a bid to break free from that tenacious pack in the middle.
2. Jack Sock Wins in Houston
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While Serena Williams sweeps aside all before her, the males representing the United States are considerably less prolific.
Jack Sock, though, seems capable of giving Americans something to cheer about.
The second-highest ranked male in the United States won earlier this month in Houston to seal one of the most surprising wins of the year.
Roberto Bautista Agut and Kevin Anderson were both beaten by the Nebraskan native en route to his first title of the year.
Sock got the job done against both in two sets before beating fellow countryman Sam Querrey 7-6 (9), 7-6 (2).
Harvey Araton wrote for The New York Times last year that Sock has "the serve and swagger of a potential winner."
That may be true, but many players before Sock have possessed a strong self-belief yet failed to fulfil their potential. To beat two of the ATP's top 20 on the way to the Houston title deserves great credit and maybe even a shout out for America's next big thing.
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1. Victor Estrella Burgos Beats Feliciano Lopez in Quito
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Victor Estrella Burgos' 2015 has been the stuff of Hollywood movies. The underdog representing a nation whose sporting prowess leaves much to be desired could have been a treatment from an '80s hit.
The man from the Dominican Republic beat Feliciano Lopez in Quito to become the oldest first-time winner of an ATP tournament.
His route to victory was testing, but not insurmountable. Martin Klizan was beaten in the quarter-finals and Thomaz Bellucci in the final four.
Lopez, though, was the challenge, and it was the 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5) win over the Spaniard that added the gloss.
It's the age-old tale of the underdog whose long-time presence has been rewarded that gives him the edge in this ranking over Ivo Karlovic, Jiri Vesely and Jack Sock.
There were only 250 ranking points on offer for an event that lacks the punch to disturb tennis' waters. Yet for Victor Estrella Burgos, this was a win of a lifetime.
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