What will men’s tennis look like when Roger Federer retires? It’s a question asked regularly, with Federer having come to exemplify the sport over the last dozen years for not only the hardcore fan, but the casual, second-Sunday-at-the-Slams observer. For many who have enjoyed this great era of the game, it’s a future not only to wonder about, but to worry about. Who will fill the seats and move the needle; who will challenge today’s stars and record books; who will hit the tweener and wear the cardigan?

Over the past two years, the answer has slowly been revealing itself to us. While Federer’s status among the sport’s elite remains unquestioned—in 2014, the 33-year-old won the most matches on the ATP tour—his play at the Slams has steadily slipped. He’s failed to reach the quarterfinals in five of his last seven Grand Slam tournaments, and he’s won just one of the last twenty majors. But in the process, he’s given a number of other players the opportunity to show what they can do on the sport’s biggest stages.

On the seventh day of the Australian Open, he rested—not by choice, of course—and it was Andreas Seppi who got to face Nick Kyrgios, with the winner meeting the survivor of the Andy Murray-Grigor Dimitrov showcase showdown. All four men acquitted themselves admirably in a preview of what the post-Federer (and for that matter, post-Rafael Nadal) landscape could look like. And I didn’t want to turn away.

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When Simona Halep concluded women’s play by defeating Yanina Wickmayer, the schedule was reduced to the conclusion—or so we thought—of Kyrgios vs. Seppi, and the start of Murray vs. Dimitrov. In this match-up of quality versus quantity, the former won 6-0, 6-0, 6-0.

Men's depth on delightful display as Murray, Kyrgios dig deep to reach QFs

Men's depth on delightful display as Murray, Kyrgios dig deep to reach QFs

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In front of a capacity crowd on Hisense Arena that wanted nothing more than to witness the next chapter in Australia’s tennis youth revolution, Kyrgios found himself down two sets. Seppi, just as he did in beating Federer, served with surprising pop, blended tenacious defense with timely offense, and got out to an early lead. With Thanasi Kokkanikas’ loss on Day 3 and Bernard Tomic’s candle snuffed earlier on this day, it appeared that the second week would mark the hour at which the brightly colored Aussies would turn into orange pumpkins. Kyrgios even faced a match point at 5-6 in the fourth set.

But although he wears clothes fit for a teenager, Kyrgios exudes the confidence of a battle-tested veteran. He served his way out of trouble, calling upon his resistance in the previous set.

“I think the turning point was definitely the break in the third set,” said Kyrgios. “That just established that I wasn't going to go away. I was just going to compete till the very end. When I got to the third set, I started playing really well in the third set. I knew if I could just hang on some way and take it to a fifth set, it's anyone's match.”

At 3-3 in the fourth-set tiebreaker, just points from defeat, Kyrgios was forced to hit a second serve. Would he lay it in with a heavy dollop of spin? Not a chance. He instead threw caution to the wind and swatted the ball at 116 M.P.H.; he would go on to win the critical point. As he’s done throughout his brief time in the pros, Kyrgios displayed no fear, as well as an instinct for hitting the right shot, the right way, at the right time. That, even more than his eventual 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 8-6 win, was the most impressive takeaway from his performance. It will serve him well down the road, just as it has in a tournament in which so much hype has been foisted upon him.

What we got from Murray and Dimitrov may have been even better, even if their match lasted only four sets. It felt like five, with the two trading forehands and backhands out of a modern-day tennis textbook for three hours and 32 minutes. The array of pulsating rallies made even the viewer feel part of the action. Like Kyrgios, these two combatants lived up to the hype, and then some.

But, really, how did this not go five sets? After Murray grabbed a two-sets-to-one lead, Dimitrov took control of a match that could be described like their rallies: Back-and-forth. The 23-year-old earned a set point on Murray’s serve at 5-2 in the fourth, but incredibly lost the next—and final—five games of match. It was as simple as this: Dimitrov failed to win the most important points in that five-game stretch, some because of his own mistakes, some of because of Murray’s brilliance, some because of just plain bad luck—including a net cord on match point:

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That came a game after Murray broke Dimitrov at love, and the Bulgarian broke his racquet in half:

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What shouldn’t be forgotten is that three of the four mostly scintillating sets seemed like they could go either way. There were 10 combined breaks of serve in the first, second, and fourth sets, with each man unable to pull away from the other for consistent stretches. That is, until Murray’s unlikely, match-ending five-game run. He looks like a completely different player than last year—he looks someone who can once again win Slams. Questions will persist about Dimitrov’s ability to put his high-flying game together at the most pressure-packed moments, but I found it hard not to come away from this enjoyable match impressed by both men. I look forward to the next chapter of their rivalry.

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I’m also looking forward to the quarterfinal between Murray and Kyrgios, which should be a treat, as well as the eventual first encounter between Dimitrov and Kyrgios, two of the game’s top young talents.

And, quite honestly, I’m ready for another round of Seppi and Kyrgios. The veteran Italian didn’t rest on the laurels of his win over Federer; it seemed to inspire him to do greater things. It’s a feeling that many players have experienced, with Federer’s prolonged run at the top of tennis raising the bar for all below. The men’s game has been in good hands for many years, and judging by this loaded quarter of the draw, it’s going to be in good hands for many more years to come.