In 2013, competitors such as Ernests Gulbis, Tommy Robredo, Vasek Pospisil and Dmitry Tursunov all soared from well outside the top 100 to the top 50 in the world rankings. Some, such as Gulbis, built upon that rise in 2014. Now, as this season winds down, here are a handful of players who have spiked this year.

David Goffin (Began season ranked No. 110, currently No. 31)

Goffin, the lone Belgian in the top 100, began the season slowly, primarily entering Challengers and qualifying draws. Despite gaining entry into the Indian Wells and Miami Masters, along with tournaments in Acapulco and Memphis, the 23-year-old could not make a dent once in the main draws.

However, a turning point came after his first-round loss to Andy Murray at Wimbledon. Goffin would turn towards European Challengers, where he would reign victorious at three straight events followed by a title at the Kitzbühel ATP event. He would parlay that success into the summer North American hard courts in preparation for the U. S. Open. And, after a quarterfinal run at the Winston-Salem Open, Goffin would advance to the third round at Flushing Meadows. Then, after winning two Davis Cup matches for Belgium, Goffin would take his second ATP Tour event of the year at Metz. He defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en route to the title.

Goffin would win 34 of 36 matches (including Davis Cup results) immediately following Wimbledon and has now positioned himself for entry into higher-level main draws, where he will no longer be forced to qualify.

Pablo Cuevas (Began season ranked No. 220, currently No. 35)

Cuevas was consistently in the top 100 from 2009-11, but a knee injury derailed his efforts, plummeting him down the rankings. The 28-year-old found renewed success via the Challenger route early this year, building ranking points. Despite losing five of his first six matches upon his return, Cuevas would earn titles at the Barranquilla, Colombia and Mestre, Italy Challenger events during the clay season.

However, much like Goffin, the native of Uruguay would find larger success following a first-round defeat at Wimbledon. He would win back-to-back titles in ATP 250 events at Bastad and Umag, where he defeated Fabio Fognini, Fernando Verdasco, and Jeremy Chardy on his way to those championships.

With little to no points to defend, Cuevas would watch his ranking peak rise to its career best after a quarterfinal run in Kuala Lumpur last week. If he maintains his health, Cuevas will look to build upon his rise when play shifts to Australia in 2015.

Dominic Thiem (Began season ranked No. 139, currently No. 40)

Thiem has been on the radar as a potential champion for some time and having just turned 21, is finding his stride on tour. The Austrian took a different approach to the season than did Goffin and Cuevas. Choosing to focus on qualifiers only, Thiem bypassed Challenger events and, although he has no titles to his credit thus far in 2014, has made huge strides.

In the first third of the season, Thiem found success in all but one qualifying draw, securing entry into a number of main draws at ATP Tour level events. And while he found only moderate success in those tournaments, he accrued valuable ranking points that allowed him consistent entry into main draws as summer began. Thiem has not needed a qualifying entry into a tournament since May.

As the season advanced, the Austrian served notice that he was on course to live up to expectations with victories over Stan Wawrinka, Gilles Simon, Ernests Gulbis, and Feliciano Lopez. Thiem would take down two top-25 players at Flushing Meadows, advancing to the round of 16 at the U. S. Open. He is positioned nicely to finish strong in 2014 and build upon his success next year.

Steve Johnson (Began season ranked No. 156, currently No. 46)

The American was quick out of the gate in 2014, qualifying and advancing to the quarterfinals in Auckland in early January. Additionally, he found success in Challengers, where he would win titles at Dallas and Guadeloupe while advancing to the finals of Irving and Bordeaux. But it was his opportunities at ATP Tour events where Johnson would build momentum as the season progressed.

The 24-year-old made a semifinal run at Delray Beach earlier in the year before turning to the American hard courts in the summer. There, Johnson would fare well at both Washington and the CIncinnati Masters, where he would defeat Ernests Gulbis and John Isner and would enter Flushing Meadows on an uptick. However, severe cramping would force the California native to retire with the lead in a first-round match against Tatsuma Ito.

Nonetheless, Johnson's rise in 2014, which included wins over four top-20 players, would allow him to compete in the Asian swing this fall. Whereas he would have historically returned to his home country to compete in Challengers there, Johnson found himself in Tokyo this week. He will look to finish the year strong and solidify himself as the American No. 2.

Nick Kyrgios (Began season ranked No. 182, currently No. 51)

Like Thiem, the Australian is another young player with high expectations. During his fast 2014 rise, Kyrgios made it known he has his sights on much loftier goals. The fiery 19-year-old announced his arrival with a Wimbledon run that included a victory over then-world No. 1 Rafael Nadal. He would advance to the quarterfinals before falling to Milos Raonic.

However, Kyrgios started his season primarily in Challenger and qualifying events. This would culminate with a title in June at Nottingham as the grass season began. It was the last Challenger event he has entered to date.

Aside from his Nadal victory, Krygios has twice defeated Richard Gasquet while notching wins against Mikhail Youzhny and Santiago Giraldo. As the season winds down, the big hitter has positioned himself nicely and could be a factor when play shifts towards his home Grand Slam in early 2015. 

The fast risers of 2013 were a group of up-and-comers mixed with seasoned veterans. Most have followed up success by maintaining or improving their rankings this year. As this season heads towards London and thoughts turns to next season, the performance of the 2014 group will be a noteworthy story to keep a watchful eye on.