By Greg Garber
ESPN.com
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A decade ago, they were the toast of Indian sports.

Leander Paes, a gifted shot-maker of small stature, and Mahesh Bhupathi, a long, tall hitter with big, bold strokes, crashed the doubles party and came away with three Grand Slam titles in three years. Their complementary games, their exquisite chemistry, were sometimes breathtaking to behold. In 2001, they received the coveted Padma Shri, India's highest honor for distinguished service -- the equivalent of knighthood in the British Empire.

And then it all fell apart. At the top of their game, they separated. Legend has it that their pursuit of a beautiful Bollywood actress, which allegedly erupted into a physical disagreement, was at the root of their problems. And so, for the next nine years, they played mostly with others partners.

… Ryan Sweeting

They spring into the picture like sprightly robins, harbingers of a new season and, perhaps someday, a new world order.

A month ago, it was Milos Raonic, the 20-year-old Canadian who thumped his way to back-to-back finals in San Jose and Memphis. Well, say hello to Ryan Sweeting, a 23-year-old Floridian who was born in the Bahamas. Sweeting, who became a U.S. citizen five years ago, broke through with a victory last week in Houston. He defeated 21-year-old Kei Nishikori 6-4, 7-6 (3) in the youngest men's final so far this year. Sweeting knocked off 2010 Houston finalist Sam Querrey in the second round and hard-serving Ivo Karlovic in the semifinals. Sweeting's serve came alive as the tournament progressed; he was broken nine times in his first three matches, then only once in the final two.

His ranking, which was No. 93, vaulted to No. 67. Sweeting has qualified into five main draws this year -- best among ATP World Tour players -- and his new, elevated status will allow him more direct entries. ESPN.com caught up with Sweeting last week while he was home resting in Fort Lauderdale.

ESPN.com: The No. 1 question of casual tennis fans after your breakthrough win in Houston: Who is Ryan Sweeting -- and where did he come from?

Ryan Sweeting: There's always a lot of success in sports that doesn't get spread all over the Internet. I feel like my career has steadily been progressing, consistently. It's a tough for the average fan to follow that because tennis is not as well supported as some other sports. The people in the game, the families and support crews, they know.

ESPN.com: Specifically, what was the biggest key in winning that first title?

Sweeting: First, my fitness level has improved a great deal this year. Playing five matches on clay, well, in the past it would have been tough for me; I would have had to go to the reserve tank. In the offseason, I spent a lot of time at Saddlebrook in Tampa with the training and fitness team there. The other key was getting a lot of matches coming in, consistently winning three matches in tournaments, gaining more and more experience on the big stage. Against [Querrey and Karlovic], I felt I handled the pressure very well. I didn't let it impact my game.

ESPN.com: We saw that you got a little serving tip from Wayne Bryan, father of the Bryan brothers. He called it "a little A1 sauce on a 14-ounce filet mignon," but how did he help?

Sweeting: After the quarterfinals, Wayne noticed a few glitches in my serve. I've been playing around with it all year. He took me to the practice court with a bucket of balls, simplified my serve, broke it down. I was trying to do too much. He helped me with the toss and my arm position. It was definitely a positive moment in my week. My toss was way better, more relaxed, in the last two matches.

ESPN.com: It's not normal for U.S. players to look comfortable on clay. Why do you appear so smooth out there on the dirt?

Sweeting: I'm happy out there because I've been playing every day on clay since I started playing in the Bahamas at age 7. When I moved to Florida at 12, I still played on clay -- until I was 18. Most Americans have a tough time moving that first week on clay, transitioning from hard courts, sliding into the ball. I've been used to it for so long, it's really second nature.

ESPN.com: You're the first American to win his first ATP title on clay since Andy Roddick (2001 Atlanta). How does that bode for your clay season?

Sweeting: I'm excited. I'm debating whether to play a Challenger in Sarasota in a few weeks, but after that, I'll try to qualify in Rome and hope I can get into the main draw in Nice. With my ranking, I get into the main draw at Roland Garros and, hopefully, Wimbledon. My goal is to get past the second round of a major. My other goal is to get into the top 50. I have never gone backwards in my career, and I definitely don't want to start doing it now. I've never been more confident, never more comfortable. I'm very happy with the way I'm playing.

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.