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With school out for the holidays, many junior tennis players took advantage of the extra time to amp up their tennis games. We recognize some of the performances of the New Year in this month's Prince Hot 100 Lists.

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

The latest lists, published last week, are available here:

• Boys' Hot 100
• Girls' Hot 100

We visited with a few of these top performers...

Roundup

Alex Kuperstein (Palm Desert, Calif.)

Three-star sophomore Alex Kuperstein - who will be a Four-star sophomore when the new ratings are announced at the end of February - experienced a tragic blow when he was just 14. His coach of seven years, Jackie Cooper, died of cancer. Cooper was a major influence on Kuperstein's game from a young age, and his death was a huge loss for Kuperstein.

"After his coach passed away in May of 2013, Alex didn't have a coach for over a year. It was just too hard to move on," Kuperstein's mother, Kathy Martin, said.

In August of 2014, however, Kuperstein recommitted to his game, and he later began working with new coaches. He now trains with Harry Fritz, Andy Scorteanu and Stu Teran of the Monterey Country Club in Palm Desert, Calif.

The five-foot-eleven player has been finding success ever since. He describes himself as an all-court player who loves coming to the net. "I can mix up my game and change my game plan to figure out how to win the match," Kuperstein said. "I think my net game and shot selection distinguish me from other players. Most of my opponents stay at the baseline, and I like to mix it up."

Kuperstein also enjoys doubles play and uses these skills to find just as much success there. "I am a strong doubles player because of my net play," he said.

The three-star player demonstrated this dual-success in several tournaments last month. He named his best match as one against four-star opponent Shawn Parks at the end of November. The two sophomores met in the quarterfinal playoff of the USTA Open Regional Tournament. Parks was the number one seed.

Kuperstein was down 1-4 in the first set but was able to keep his mental game in check and change his game plan. He won the next five games to win the set 6-4 and then won the second set 6-1 to take the match. He won his next match to place fifth overall in the tournament.

"This tournament gave me the confidence I needed, and I played really well the next month," he said. Sure enough, Kuperstein dominated in all of his tournaments in December.

He became the Palm Valley Alek Feller Memorial Tournament's 16s singles champion and 18s doubles champion. At the Monterey Country Club Open, Kuperstein was the 18s singles semifinalist and 18s doubles finalist. He kept it up in the Indian Wells Garden Open, where he was the 18s singles backdraw winner and the 18s doubles champion. Finishing the month off strong, he was both the 16s singles and doubles champion of the Palm Valley Junior Open.

With such strong results, it is no wonder that Kuperstein is thinking about colleges. "I am going to start working with college recruiter Ross Greenstein [of Scholarship for Athletes]," he said. "I want to go to a college that is a good fit for me and where I will get to play."

Kuperstein has not forgotten his beloved coach Cooper, but rather uses his memory as inspiration. "He was such a great influence on my game and in my life," Kuperstein said. "I miss him so much. I know he would be proud of me."