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Each year, the Countdown to Signing day dominates the majority of the content on TennisRecruiting.net. Today, however, we take a moment to resume some of our regular content by bringing you the monthly Hot 100! Today we take a look at junior players who had notable recent results.

The Hot 100 lists are published each month, and the October Hot 100 lists feature the one hundred boys and girls who most improved their rankings during the month of September. You can find out more about the Hot 100 - and how the lists are calculated - by reading here.

The latest lists, published earlier this week, are available here:

• Boys' Hot 100
• Girls' Hot 100

We talked to a few of these top performers...

Roundup

Sara Fernandez (S. Miami, Fla.)

Three-star sophomore Sara Fernandez did not start out as a tennis player. She trained in Kung Fu from the age of four and earned her black belt at age ten.

"Around that time, a friend of mine asked if I would play in a team tennis tournament," Fernandez said. "I loved the challenge and the competition, so I started taking tennis more seriously."

Fernandez takes after her "abuela" (grandmother), also named Sara. "She is in her 70s and has played tennis all her life," Fernandez said.

In fact, her grandmother competed for Cuba in the first Junior Orange Bowl in Miami, Fla., over 50 years ago, and Fernandez competed in the 50th one when she was 10.

Fernandez credits her recent growth to the inspiration that college tennis gives her. In August, she attended an engineering camp at Olin College of Engineering. During her trip, she visited several college campuses in Cambridge.

"It became real. This experience reinforced what I want to do and gave me an extra boost in terms of focus and confidence," she said.

Fernandez carried that confidence into her game last month, when she won three tournaments, the Trombetta Fall Championships, the In The Zone Tournament and the Broward Fall Tournament. She earned 12 wins against zero losses in September.

The sophomore named the best of these wins as one against a four-star, left-handed player, Katherine Teng, which came in the semifinals of the Trombetta Fall Championships.

"It was my best win because she is a strong and intelligent player, and I was able to control most of the match and beat her 6-3; 6-1," Fernandez said. "I was able to confidently and successfully implement during competition the new things I've been developing in training. A bonus - I really like competing against lefties."

Fernandez, a proud student at Westminster Christian School, is also a highly-competitive and decorated student, which will factor into her decision-making regarding college.

"My goal is to attend an academically superior and challenging university focusing my education in the field of Biomedical Engineering while pursuing my passion for high-level competitive tennis," she said. "I have narrowed my personal wish list to a few. MIT, Johns Hopkins or Columbia/Davidson's dual program would be amazing!"

Lauren Yoon (Knoxville, Tenn.)

Three-star junior Lauren Yoon credits the work she has been doing with her coach for her recent improvement. She works with coach David Thornton of the Knoxville Racquet Club.

"I have been working with David Thorton for about two years, and he was the one to challenge and really push me to become the best player I could be," Yoon said. "Before I met David, I really struggled with the mental part of tennis, but he made me recognize, confront and try to solve my problem."

Yoon also works with a sports psychologist on these mental aspects of tennis. "Jeff Greenwald assists me in strengthening my mental toughness too. With both David's and Jeff's assistance, I can truly say that I love the game of tennis, and the fact that I enjoy being on the court has contributed to my improved ranking."

The three-star player was challenged to use this positive attitude and mental strength in a difficult match this summer. She met four-star Georgia Fischer at the Zonal Team Tournament at Wake Forest University back in July. Yoon won the first set 6-2 and was up 5-0 in the second when Fischer began to catch up.

In the seven-point tiebreaker, Yoon's legs began to cramp, and she lost the second set, 6-7. Yoon battled cramps for the rest of the match. "We both valiantly fought for the game, going back and forth from deuce to ad." Yoon won the tiebreaker 8-6, which finally ended the five-hour long match.

Yoon found notable success last month as well. She won the Top Gun Academy Championships and earned an 11-3 record for September.

This high school junior believes that what sets her apart from her peers is her self-discipline in both her academic and athletic life. She wakes up at 5:30am for CrossFit training several times a week, trains in the evenings until 8:30pm and often stays up well past midnight to complete the homework for her three AP and two honors classes.

"I surely push myself in school as hard as I do in tennis," Yoon said.

Nicholas Forester (Falmouth, Maine)

Three-star sophomore Nicholas Forester had a difficult experience earlier this year which slowed down his game. In the semifinals of his state high school singles tournament, he fell on a ball that rolled from another court and injured his knee. His knee was fractured and his acl/mcl suffered partial tears.

"Although I was forced to retire the match, could not play tennis for two months and missed several tournaments that I had been working towards, I used the time off to get stronger, and I came back fully-healed with the determination to succeed," he said.

Forester works with coach Harvey McCartney of The Woodlands Club in Falmouth, Maine. In addition to improving his strength and fitness since his injury, the two are working on a number of technical aspects of Forester's game.

"I have been working with my coach on serve placement, getting into position on all of my shots, backing up and hitting the ball with racket speed and spin and moving the ball to open up the court," he said.

With all his hard work, Forester came back to tournament play stronger than ever. In August, he won his first tournament back from his injury, the Maine Summer Open.

Forester carried that strength into September, when he competed in four tournaments. He reached the finals of the Racket and Fitness Challenger and the semifinals of the New Hampshire Championship.

The three-star sophomore finished strong at the end of the month when he won both the Maine Fall Classic Challenger and the Thoreau Club Challenger. He ended the month with a 13-2 record.

The ambidextrous player says that his biggest strength is his ability to play both right and left-handed.

"I execute a highly diverse and strategic game plan. I play with a lot of heavy spin. My strengths are that I have a lefty serve, a forehand weapon on each side, strong footwork, athleticism and mental toughness," Forester said. "I am a strong competitor and I never give up, even if I am losing."

Forester's parents, Jackie Rider and Peter Forester, believe that their son's sportsmanship also sets him apart from his peers. "Nick is respectful of the game of tennis and of everyone involved, including the players, coaches and tournament directors," they said. "Regardless of where he plays and whether he wins or loses, he always thanks the tournament directors for having him."

Benjamin Ringeisen (Allison Park, Penn.)

Three-star freshman Benjamin Ringeisen credits the work of his coaches for his recent success. He works with Krishnan Anandan and Budi Susanto of the Lakevue Athletic Club in Valencia, Penn.

"I credit my coaches with my good play," he said. "In the past month they have really pushed me to be mentally and physically prepared for all of my matches."

The three have been working on Ringeisen's mental game as well as his kick serve and volley game. "For years my footwork and volleys weren't good enough to come to the net, but now I feel much more comfortable," Ringeisen said.

They are also working on his court recognition and diversity in his game. "I need to be able to know what shots to hit and when to hit them. I love to use my forehand and pound the ball to opponents' backhands. However, when you play someone who gets the ball back, you have to change your game," he said. "You need to be able to hit the angle shot and drop shot and hit a heavy topspin. If you are a one-dimensional player, people who can change their game will beat you."

Ringeisen used these new skills in what he considers his best match of September. He met Joseph Li early on in the USTA Midwest L3 Tournament in Dayton, OH.

"In that match, I felt I played really well," Ringeisen said. "My forehand, which is my biggest weapon, was on, I was hitting backhand winners crosscourt and down the line and I was controlling the point." He took the match, 6-1; 6-2 and went on to win the consolation quarterfinals of this tournament.

Also in September, the six-foot-five player competed in three other tournaments, reaching the finals of the Mt. Lebanon Designated Labor Day Open and winning sectional tournaments at both Shady Side Academy and the North Allegheny High. He earned a 15-2 record for September and leapt over 50 spots up on the Class Rankings.

Ringeisen's recent strong play has him thinking about college. He even quit other sports (soccer, lacrosse and basketball) to focus on his goal of playing division one tennis.

"I have thought about colleges and I am definitely looking for a coach who I can rely on as a person and to further develop my game," he said. "I want to play tennis at a school with a great business program, as that is what I plan to study in college."

Have a look over the Hot 100 lists - and take a look at some of the other players who have stepped up their game.

The next edition of the Hot 100 will be available on November 14, 2016.

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Presented by Lotto Elite

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Lotto Elite is a preferred pricing program designed around and for the coach and player, not the brand. We don't think a ranking or rating defines you as a player. We think your grit, determination, love of the grind, attitude and so much more, both on and off the court, define you as a person and makes you Elite.

This is why we wanted to partner with the Hot 100 list. We believe this group of players embody what it means to be Elite. Whether you're a 2-star or Blue Chip recruit, being on this list means you put yourself out there, went for it, and accomplished a goal. Keep Grinding.

Learn more about the Lotto Elite program by clicking here. You can also connect with us on Instagram or Facebook.

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About Amelia Thomas

Amelia Thomas has been the author of the Hot 100 column at Tennis Recruiting since Fall 2009. Thomas, currently a student at Appalachian State University in Boone, has been involved in journalism in both high school and college. She served as editor of her school's online news site in 2011 and 2012, and she placed in a National Scholastic competition for Feature of the Year.