This piece has been updated to reflect Christopher Eubanks’ victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
“Christopher, how do you rate this victory in your career, in your life?”
“Considering the moment, considering the stage, who I was playing, where I played him. By far the biggest win of my career.”
The stage was Wimbledon, and the opponent was Cameron Norrie, the British No 1 and a semi-finalist here last year.
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That was two matches ago. Christopher Eubanks has since beaten Chris O’Connell, of Australia, and then, remarkably, the world No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas. After beating Tsitsipas, he said: “It’s surreal, it’s unbelievable. I can’t believe this.”
It is fair to say that Eubanks is on a hot streak.
Just over a week ago, he won Spain’s Mallorca Open in what was his first appearance in an ATP Tour final at the age of 27.
On Friday, he won 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) against Norrie, the world No 13, on one of Wimbledon’s show courts to reach the third round of a grand slam event for the first time in his career.
He followed that up by beating the Australian O’Connell and then triumphing in a five-set epic against Tsitsipas on No 2 Court. Where will this remarkable run end?
It was only a couple of weeks ago that Eubanks was texting the three-time US Open champion Kim Clijsters for advice on how to play on grass courts. Now he has nine wins in a row on the stuff.
How it started vs. How it’s going
Major THANK YOU to @Clijsterskim for keeping my spirits up at the start of this grass court season. I really appreciate you 🥹🙌🏾🏆 pic.twitter.com/ZgKlQdG6zf
— Christopher Eubanks (@chris_eubanks96) July 1, 2023
But it’s been a long and winding road for Eubanks to get to this high point of his career. He played three seasons at Georgia Tech before skipping his senior year of college to turn pro, making his grand-slam debut as a wildcard at the US Open in 2017 at the age of 21.
It was not until May this year that he broke into the top 100 — and he had even started doing some commentary work on the side, in case his form and fortunes did not change.
“There were definitely some low moments,” Eubanks said, discussing his journey. “I think that part of the reason I even got into commentary was because I had a real sit-down with my agent in 2021 and I said, ‘Listen, if I’m still (ranked) 200 by next year and injuries haven’t played a part, I can do something else with my time. Like, it’s (professional tennis) not that glamorous if you’re ranked around 200.’”
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Last July, his world ranking was 163rd. A year later, he’s knocking on the door of the top 40 and playing with freedom and flair. That was not the case a few months ago, when the top 100 was keeping him at arm’s length.
“I just spent so many years trying to get inside 100 and once I got inside, it’s like, ‘All right, let’s just play tennis now’,” he said.
His blistering performance against Norrie gained him a standing ovation from the crowd and by the time he finished beating Tsitsipas, he had the majority of the fans on No 2 Court firmly in his corner. Next up is the No 3 seed, Daniil Medvedev, from Russia.
“Obviously, I think the vast majority of the crowd out there was supporting Cam (on Friday), rightfully so,” Eubanks said. “But if I was able to kind of attract a few more fans, a few more Brits to want to back me the rest of this Wimbledon and after that, I’d really, really appreciate it, man.
“That was an extremely special match for me. To be able to maybe take a couple of fans with me, I’m not sure how many of them — but just to bring a few more along, it means the world.”
Judging by the support for him against Tsitsipas, he’s added more than just a couple. Addressing the fans after that win, he said: “You guys pushed me to do some incredible stuff. You came out in full force to support me and I can’t put into words what it means. This has been a dream come true.”
The level he has been playing at in this tournament — and the aggression with which he has attacked his matches — is completely blowing his opponents away.
Asked if Eubanks could be a threat deeper in the tournament, Norrie said: “With the way he played today, if he can do that repeatedly, I don’t see why not. He’s playing great. He’s confident. Obviously, he hasn’t played too many big matches deep in slams before; I think that will be the toughest part for him.
“His level at the moment and his confidence is unbelievable. He completely took the racquet out of my hand.”
(Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Medvedev — and anyone else for that matter — really will need to watch out for that Eubanks serve. At 6ft 7in (201cm), he’s hit 85 aces in four matches, a tournament-leading tally.
“My confidence is pretty high. I’ve been playing well on the grass so far. Serving well, especially,” he said after beating Norrie. “If I’m serving well, I think that typically bodes well for my confidence.
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“Going into the match, I felt like you never really know until you get out there.”
His second service game against Norrie went like this: Ace. Ace. Ace. Ace.
“At that point, I was like, ‘OK, I’m feeling gooooood today’.”
One of the most popular players on the tour, Eubanks’ old fans and his new fans will be hoping for more of the same.
Oh, and Kim, he says if you ask for some commission, you’ll get it.
(Top photo: Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images)
Deputy Editor for The Athletic UK. Follow Charlie on Twitter @charliefscott
