Currently ranked #23 on the ATP world tour, Ukranian tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov was swarmed by fans seeking autographs immediately following a relatively easy win over Jarkko Nieminen on court #1 at the Sony Open. Seeing the players up close and encountering them walking the tournament grounds is what makes this event especially fun for me. In this case, I was at the court where Dolgo had just won, so I made a beeline to the players' exit and -- voila -- there he was within minutes of winning his match. (As you can see from his red face, he hadn't even had a chance to cool down yet.) I was bumped around a bit by some overly zealous autograph seekers, but I held my ground…got my shots…and dashed off. Dolgo currently is on a winning streak, and I've been keeping my eye on him for the past several years, ever since the SDP Junior Editor prognosticated that he was an up and comer. He's into the quarterfinals today, so we shall see!
