The Next Big ThingJanuary 28, 2015

Nick Kyrgios won the Newcombe Medal two months ago. It's Australia's top tennis honour, given to the best Australian player of the year. Kyrgios is the 2013 Australian Open boy's singles champion. He won three Challenger Series events the following year. He reached the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championship, beating two-time winner Rafael Nadal in the fourth round. Lleyton Hewitt, Samantha Stosur, and Casey Dellacqua were the other nominees, with more titles to their names. But the panel, headed by John Newcombe, saw something in the native Canberran. He might be the next big name in men's tennis.

Australia was once the leading nation in this sports, with the likes of Rod Laver dominating the tour. But Hewitt was the last male Aussie player to lift a major trophy. (Thirteen years and counting.) He was also the last man to reach the finals of a Grand Slam event. Stosur won the 2011 US Open, but nerves affected her performance during the last few years. Dellacqua is one of the top players in the women's doubles.

â€œI honestly didn't think I was going to win this award tonight. When I heard my name called up there were so many mixed emotions, I didn't want to cry up there but I was close," Kyrgios said after receiving the medal from Newcombe.

The nineteen year old still have some doubters, pointing out his outbursts on the court. It happened during his first-round match at the Australian Open, where he received a code violation for smashing a tennis racket during a changeover. But he held his nerve, winning his match over Argentina's Federico Delbonis in five sets, 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3. Last Sunday, he gave Australians something to celebrate on Australia Day.

Kyrgios bounced back from a 0-2 set deficit to defeat Italy's Andrea Seppi. (Seppi beat Roger Federer in the previous round.) He became the first teenager to make it through the last eight of the Australian Open since Andrei Cherkasov (of the Soviet Union) in 1990. He also became the first Aussie to reach the quarters since Hewitt in 2005. He may have lost to Andy Murray, but there's no doubt that he'll go a long way.

The Williams sisters turn back the time

When was the last time that Venus and Serena Williams make it to the last eight of a Grand Slam tournament? Tennis fans must go back to the 2010 Wimbledon Championships. The older Williams was diagnosed with SjÃ¶gren's syndrome in 2011, which caused fatigue. As a result, she lost in the early rounds more often. She dropped out of the Top 100 at one point. But the seven-time major champion persevered.

Venus won her fourth-round match against Poland's Agnieszka RadwaÅ„ska, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. She might return to the Top 10 if she reaches the finals this Satutrday. She'll meet her younger sister in the semifinals if she wins her quarterfinal match against fellow American Madison Keys on Wednesday (and if Serena beats Slovakia's Dominika CibulkovÃ¡, last year's losing finalist).

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