Harrison, an IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy alum, won all three qualifying matches this past weekend to qualify for the main draw of the Brisbane International.

His reward? Facing No. 1 seed and worldwide No. 5, Robin Soderling. Harrison also qualified last month for the Australian Open for the second time in his career.

After his impressive 2010, Harrison has also earned a spot in ESPN Magazine’s annual “NEXT” issue that highlights some of the nation’s up-and-coming stars. From the feature:

Let’s face it: This isn’t exactly the golden age of American men’s tennis. So when Harrison, ranked 173rd in the world, upset 15th-seeded Ivan Ljubicic in the opening round of the 2010 US Open, fans rejoiced. (He lost his next match in five sets to No. 36 Sergiy Stakhovsky.) “I love that Ryan has an all-around game,” says Billie Jean King. “He can serve and hit off the ground, and he’s strong at the net. He’s going to have a great future.” With Harrison having earned a spot in this month’s Australian Open, the future might already be here.

Kei Nishikori will be expanding his IMG Academies coaching team with a consulting role for Brad Gilbert. Gilbert is currently a guest coach at the Bradenton, Fla.-based IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy, where Nishikori trains year-round under the tutelage of legendary coach Nick Bollettieri and his world class staff.

A fierce competitor, Nishikori ended his 2010 season with one goal in mind – to make 2011 his best season of record. To help him achieve this, he has sought assistance from Gilbert, the man Andre Agassi relied on for nearly a decade, coaching him to six Grand Slam titles between 1994 and 2002. Gilbert has also coached Andy Roddick and Andy Murray. Said Gilbert, “Kei is a fierce young competitor. He knows what he wants from the game of tennis. I’m excited to expand my relationship with the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy and help consult Kei during the 2011 season.” Both Brad Gilbert and his sister Dana Gilbert were students at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy in the 80s.

“I am excited about the addition of Brad to my team. Brad’s knowledge as a former top player, as well as his coaching success, is something that can help me become a better player,” added Nishikori.

In the 2011 season, Nishikori will travel full-time with IMG Bollettieri elite coach Dante Bottini. Bottini is a long-time member of Nick’s elite coaching staff.

Added Bollettieri, “As a coach, Brad adds the little things to a player that make a big difference in the higher echelon of the game. Brad’s long-term relationship with the Academy and me as a student, a player, and a guest coach, make Brad a great addition to consult Kei’s coaching team, as well as to assist the program at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy.”

Nishikori returned to play in February 2010 after a year-long lay-off following elbow surgery. He won consecutive ATP Tour Challenger series titles at Savannah and Sarasota in May, before playing in his first French Open shortly thereafter. By summer’s end, the 20-year old advanced through to the third round of the U.S. Open, posting his best Grand Slam finish since 2008.

In Sunday’s final, Harrison, an 18-year-old IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy student, defeated Jack Sock 7-6 (3), 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4 to win the 8-man invitational. Harrison defeated Michael Shabaz (University of Virginia senior and 2010 NCAA Doubles Champion) 7-6 (3), 6-7 (6), 6-4 and Rhyne Williams (University of Tennessee sophomore and ITA All-American) 4-6, 6-2, 9-7.

After also winning last year’s Australian Open Wild Card Tournament and qualifying for the 2010 US Open, the 2011 Australian Open will mark Harrison’s third appearance in a Grand Slam Main Draw. Harrison is currently ranked No. 173 on the ATP World Tour.

Already known as one of the world’s top up-and-coming young players, Harrison made waves this summer when he defeated No. 15 seed Ivan Ljubicic in the first round of the US Open and taking Sergiy Stakhovsky, then ranked No. 36 in the world, five sets in the second round.

“Absolutely,” said Harrison after being asked if the loss in New York made him want to win Sunday’s match even more. “I know people still remember that match. I want to start creating some better Grand Slam memories and there couldn’t be an easier way to do that than to get into the main draw of the Australian Open.”

Mixed in with the thousands of juniors on the IMG Academies’ campus for the Eddie Herr International, two of the WTA’s up-and-coming stars used the perfect weather for a hitting session on Tuesday.

Sabine Lisicki and Melanie Oudin hit for about an hour, working on all parts of their game with their respective coaches intently watching. Nick Bollettieri, keeping a close eye on one of his junior students on a nearby court, came by at the end of the session for a quick photo op.

Lisicki, 21, and Oudin, 19, have featured a very similar WTA career path thus far, with Lisicki reaching a career-high ranking of 22 with one career title (Charleston) and Oudin has risen to 31. The two, however, have never played each other in a WTA single’s match.

As I watched this match it was very clear that Federer was not going to be pushed off the baseline. He was determined to play very aggressively, including taking balls on the rise and forcing Nadal to move side to side. This style of play put a great deal of pressure on Nadal, and any short return Federer pounced on. Nadal never came to the net!

The indoor conditions were perfect for Federer because there was:

1. No wind
2. No sun
3. Medium pace surface
4. No inconsistent bounces which allowed Federer to hit just about any ball including the serve on the rise.

Nadal’s bread and butter shots are:

1. Lefty wide serve to the ad court
2. Heavy cross court forehand to Federer’s one handed backhand

In recent matches Nadal forced Federer back behind the baseline and quite often his returns were short or sliced back cross-court, which eventually would be put away by Nadal. Not this time. Also, Federer’s serves was on and was like a missile locked onto a target!  He placed the ball perfectly and was able to get a high (80-90) percentage of first serves in.

Federer needed this win not only to regain his confidence, but also to give his competitors a message that he is still the man to beat. I firmly believe that he is going to have a huge bounce-back year in 2011 and that some of his best days are still in front of him.

As for Nadal, he will not let this match get him down. He is probably already thinking of ways to combat what Federer did and because of his great determination I am sure he will look forward to playing Federer in 2011.

I want to say congratulations to my former student and close friend, Paul Annacone, who now coaches Federer. Paul does not say much, so when he speaks you know Federer will listen.

There is plenty of intrigue heading into 2011. Will Federer bounce back? Can Nadal repeat his success of 2010? Will Murray finally breakthrough and win a Grand Slam? How will Djokovic fair? Will Roddick get back in the mix? I can’t wait to see how things pan out!

If you have a question about the future of American tennis, here is your chance to ask two of the legends of the sport – Nick Bollettieri and Patrick McEnroe! Both men will be answering questions from 2-3pm on Tuesday, November 23rd on Twitter. If you want to ask a question of either of them you can do so here. You can follow Nick on Twitter and also see he responses by going here: www.twitter.com/nickbollettieri.