Melbourne, Australia, 5 February 2013 | tennis.com.au

John Millman has continued his rapid rise up the ATP rankings in 2013, jumping 25 places following his win at the ATP Challenger event in Burnie, Tasmania.

Having begun the season ranked just inside the top 200, the Queenslander now sits at world No.158, a career-high mark for the 23-year-old.

Yet while that rise is impressive, it fails to tell the full story – just 11 months ago, Millman languished at No.560 before embarking on an incredible improvement that has seen him move to within striking distance of a top 150 ranking.

His rise was kick-started with his run to the final of South Korea’s Busan Challenger event in May 2012, which boosted his ranking by more than 150 places and instilled him with confidence going into the second half of that season.

He later came within one match of qualifying for the ATP tournament in Eastbourne and enjoyed sustained success at Challenger and Futures level in Asia, before returning to Australia to claim the Pro Tour title in Bendigo.

A trip back to Asia – and a semifinal finish at the Toyota Challenger tournament in Japan – helped the Queenslander crack the top 200 in November.

Millman’s momentum never slowed as he entered the 2013 season.

He began the year by qualifying for the ATP Brisbane International, and brushed Tatsuma Ito aside in the first round of the main draw before impressing everybody in a tense three-set loss to Andy Murray.

He also won a round at the Apia International Sydney, yet fell in five thrilling sets to Ito in the opening round at Melbourne Park.

Millman’s win-loss record for 2013 currently stands at a sparkling 10-3, something that he will attempt to build on when he contests the Charles Sturt Adelaide International Challenger this week.

Following yesterday’s release of the latest ATP World Tour rankings, also enjoying notable ranking rises were:

• Adam Feeney, who rose 10 places and returned to the top 300 after reaching the quarterfinals in Burnie
• Matthew Barton, who vaulted 60 spots to a career-high 345th after advancing to the Burnie semifinals
• James Lemke, who improved 59 places and hit world No.493 after posting a quarterfinal finish in Burnie as a qualifier
• Andrew Whittington, the 19-year-old who moved from No.787 to No.648 following a trip to the Burnie quarterfinals
• Jordan Thompson, who jumped an incredible 211 spots after qualifying for Burnie and reaching the second round as an 18-year-old

There were no significant changes in the WTA rankings of the Australian women this week.