India, Jan. 24 -- Tomas Martin Etchiverry stretched as far as his 6-foot-5 frame would let him at the end of a quick dash towards the net. He did manage to retrieve the drop shot sent his way and get the ball back into play, but the momentum of his sprint carried him forward and off the court.

Alexander Bublik waited at the service line across the net as Etchiverry's weak return floated harmlessly towards him. There was an open court for Bublik to play into. For any other player, a simple tap would suffice. Bublik, ever the showman, casually lobbed his volley back for the winner.

Everywhere the Kazakh plays, he carries his bag of tricks with him. The drop-shots, the tweeners, the front-facing tweeners, the underarm serves, the 200 kmph+...