With the Australian Open wrapped up, it’s time to rewind back to the first week of the tournament and take a look at some men who announced their names to the tennis world by performing beyond expectations in Melbourne. These players are all under 25, and a few are just teenagers, so we should be hearing more from them for a while.

Roberto Bautista Agut

The oldest player in this group is 25 and very close to breaking into the top 50 with a career-high ranking. (His current career-high ranking is No. 48, achieved in July of last year.) The Spaniard has been on a steady rise since January of last year. Before 2013, Bautista Agut was just 3-12 at the ATP level, but he established himself as a tour regular with a 26-22 ATP mark in 2013, including his first ATP final. This January, he reached the semifinals in Auckland and the round of 16 in Melbourne, where he upset world No. 4 Juan Martin Del Potro in a tough five-setter and also scored a quality win against Benoit Paire before succumbing to Grigor Dimitrov in four sets.

 The Spaniard is a good shot-maker with a great forehand, and he plays his best, most efficient tennis when playing aggressively. Bautista Agut has a game suited for all surfaces, and he is gradually improving his Grand Slam results. He reached the second round in all four majors last year before reaching the round of 16 for the first time in his career at the Australian Open. Bautista Agut twice took sets off top-five player David Ferrer in slams last year and has wins at the ATP level against Tomas Berdych and Del Potro. Those results show that he can match up with some of the best.

While Bautista Agut is unlikely to become a huge name on tour, he should make the top 30 this year if he plays well, and he has the game and durability to stay there for a long time. One goal that he has achieved already is his first Davis Cup nomination for Spain. Bautista Agut will participate in their tie against Germany this weekend.

Blaz Rola

The 2013 NCAA singles champion at Ohio State, Rola is a 23-year-old Slovenian who might be the next big name to watch from the world of college tennis. His excellent results on the Challenger Tour and now reaching the second round of the Australian Open as a qualifier suggest he is on the rise. Rola has nearly broken into the top 150 now at a career-high ranking of No. 152.

The Slovenian won three qualifying matches in Melbourne, including a final-round win over fellow talent Pierre Hugues-Herbert. Then, Rola won his first-round match in the main draw against Federico Delbonis, his first career ATP win, before succumbing to Martin Klizan in four sets. His name is easy to miss because he has not yet played on a televised court. But after three Futures titles, four Challenger semifinals, and a Challenger final in 2013, his game is clearly improving and improving quickly. Rola will likely still be on the Challenger Tour for some time, but look for him to qualify for a few ATP main draws and perhaps make the top 100 before the year ends.

Damir Dzumhur

Dzumhur, a 21-year-old qualifier in Melbourne, already made history for his nation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as he earned the first main-draw victory at a major of any player in his nation’s history. In fact, he reached the third round before running into Tomas Berdych and falling in straight sets.

Dzumhur first had to win three matches in the qualifying draw, including a victory over an in-form Dustin Brown. Then, he defeated veteran Jan Hajek in the first round of the main draw and recovered from two sets to love down against Ivan Dodig, who retired due to the heat. Dzumhur isn’t the biggest player but moves well and has a clean, appealing style of play. While he won’t become a superstar, he should be a regular ATP competitor and inside the top 100 very soon. Dzumhur is certainly a great success story with emerging as a professional tennis player from the backdrop of the war-torn Balkans.

Dominic Thiem

This 20-year-old Austrian, who is now ranked a career-high No.115, qualified and reached round two of the Australian Open. Austria’s current No. 1, the veteran Jurgen Melzer, has coined Thiem the future of Austrian tennis, and Melzer currently appears to be right.

Thiem has trained with Ernests Gulbis and his coaching team. He won two Challenger titles and two Futures title last year, all on clay. A former junior No. 2, Thiem made the quarterfinals in both the Austrian ATP events, Kitzbuhel and Vienna.  He defeated Martin Klizan, who later made the third round as a lucky loser, in the final round of qualifying at the Australian Open. Thiem also scored a four-set win over top-60 opponent Joao Sousa in the main draw.

The Austrian plays his best tennis on clay, based upon his results, but he also has performed well on hard courts like the Australian Open and on indoor hard courts like Vienna. Those results show that he is relatively versatile and has good fitness. Thiem might make an ATP breakthrough this year, perhaps a semifinal or better, and his results in slams should continue to improve from his debut in Melbourne.

 Jordan Thompson

One of three Aussies who showed great promise in their home major, Thompson was up two sets to love against Jerzy Janowicz before eventually falling in five sets in the opening round. At just 19, he showed off a good serve and excellent mobility. His late collapse in a five-set loss shows he still needs to work on his fitness and stamina, but he should improve considerably on his current ranking of No. 328 in 2014 and likely make the top 200.

Before winning the Australian Wildcard Playoff, the lanky, loose-limbed Thompson was mainly traveling the Futures circuit. He won two Futures titles last year, along with one final. As he adapts to a more Challenger-heavy schedule with his improved ranking, the increased competition will be a big test of his staying power.  It should also be noted that Thompson very nearly beat Richard Gasquet at the Kooyong Classic exhibition just before the Australian Open.

Nick Kyrgios

Skill, along with swagger, define the 18-year-old Australian, who will be playing Davis Cup for Australia this weekend. Kyrgios stands at a career-high ranking of No. 162 after defeating veteran Benjamin Becker in four sets to reach the second round in Melbourne. There, he lost a memorable match to Benoit Paire in five sets after leading by two sets to love. This was not his first grand slam win, for he defeated Radek Stepanek at the French Open last year.

Kyrgios was excellent as a junior player, although his career rise was postponed slightly by shoulder surgery. The Aussie also qualified at the US Open last year and will be playing more Challengers and perhaps some ATP qualifying in the near future. He has a great forehand and a solid serve, both of which have a lot of pop. While he can at times struggle with his error count, his court presence, composure and ability to play clutch tennis cannot be discounted.

Kyrgios should become a fixture of the Australian Davis Cup team for a long time to come, along with having top-20 potential. Of all the players on this list, for now he has the most promise. Kyrgios plays a mature game well beyond his years, while his likeable personality and interest in the fans should also make him a fan favorite.

Thanasi Kokkinakis

The other “K-twin” with Kyrgios, Kokkinakis first popped up on my radar when he played Novak Djokovic at the 2013 Hopman Cup as a fill-in and performed admirably. He is just 17, the youngest player on this list, and he already has won a match at a major. Kokkinakis gritted out a tough four-set battle against Igor Sijsling, fighting through cramps to reach the second round as a home wildcard.

Rafael Nadal handled Kokkinakis with ease in straight sets in round two, but Kokkinakis showed tenacity by fighting hard despite the long odds against him. Of Greek heritage, like Kyrgios, he reached two junior major finals at the Australian Open and the US Open last year.

Kokkinakis is obviously best suited for hard courts, like the other two Aussie young guns, and his forehand is the best weapon in his arsenal. Again like Kyrgios, he suffered an injury that has postponed his rise. He still needs work on his fitness and shot selection, among other things, but his intangibles are good. Kokkinakis should become a great competitor in the future, already fighting for every point. He will likely be at the Challenger level for a while, along with Thompson, but perhaps his ranking will be high enough later in the year to play some ATP qualifying.  It will be interesting to see what he can accomplish in Grand Slam qualifying this year too.