Blaz Rola very recently broke into the top 100 of the tennis rankings at the age of 23. Usually when a player takes that long to do well in Challengers, not much more is expected of him. He may be able to win an ATP 250 or two, but that's not the type of profile that immediately screams “consistent top-30 player.”

Don't be fooled, though. That is exactly what Blaz has the potential to be. The Slovenian started late on the professional tour because he took the time to play and grow in college as well as work towards a degree. The Slovenian was the 2013 NCAA champion and played at a high level against some very tough competitors. His opponent in the final that year, Jarmere Jenkins, recently broke into the top 200 and looks to move up much further in 2015.

It's also a good time to be a former NCAA champion. Steve Johnson, without any massive weapons but with an all-around consistent game, has just broken into the top 40 and could be seeded at the Australian Open if things break his way to open the season. That has to be an inspiration for Rola, who has more weapons than Johnson and who is also steadily moving up the rankings.

Many might remember Rola from when he met Andy Murray at Wimbledon last year. It was, needless to say, not the debut Rola would have liked to have. Overawed by the occasion and the opponent, Rola didn't play poorly but just couldn't do enough to get anything going, losing in three lopsided sets. But it wouldn't be fair to judge Rola based off that alone.

Rola is very talented, even if he hasn't quite moved his way onto the main tour yet. He pushed Julien Benneteau and Fernando Verdasco to the brink in his most recent forays into big tournaments, at Cincinnati and the US Open, respectively.
In fact, if Rola is going to have a major breakthrough at a huge tournament, we should probably keep our eyes on Cincinnati last year. Blaz may be Slovenian, but Cincinnati is the closest thing to a hometown tournament he will eperience in his career.

This is because he played his NCAA tennis at the Ohio State University. In the minds of Ohio sports fans, nothing comes before the Buckeyes. Rola (and Chase Buchanan) got intense crowd support at Cincinnati last year, and that will continue long into the future.

Granted, Rola probably does not have the overall top-end talent to contend for majors or consistently challenge players in the top five. But he certainly has the talent and consistency to become a top-30 player and make deep runs in Grand Slams and Masters every once in a while. It will be tough, but so far Rola has made all the right choices in his career, including foregoing his senior year at Ohio State. He has put himself in position to be a solid player on the ATP World Tour and looks ready to take advantage of his opportunity.