Ryan Harrison, Mardy Fish, and the Next Big Thing

The US Open Series is into the third week, and the two players that have had the best start have been two Americans, Mardy Fish, and Ryan Harrison. Fish, ranked number 9 in the world, won in Atlanta and lost Ernests Gulbis in the final in Los Angeles. Harrison, who was ranked outside the top 100 but is now 82 because of two consecutive semifinal finishes, losing to Mardy Fish both times. In Los Angeles, Fish defeated Harrison in a third set tiebreak, and the match provided an excellent snapshot of two careers, one maximized and one rising. After the jump we'll look at both men's careers up until this point, where they're heading, and the perils of looking for "The Next Big Thing"