Until a couple of week in the past, even Chris Eubanks did not actually imagine he used to be in a position to this type of factor — of thrashing the arena’s perfect tennis gamers at Wimbledon, of achieving the quarterfinals at any Grand Slam match, of successful fit after fit after fit on grasscourts.
“I would show up to tour events saying, Oh, can I get through a couple of rounds of here?” he stated right through an interview the day ahead of play started on the All England Club. “Now I can genuinely say, probably for the first time, I’m showing up to tournaments with higher expectations and really wanting to do well and put my best foot forward. I’m no longer feeling OK just being there. I know that I belong.
Does he ever.
Eubanks, a 6-foot-7, big-serving American making his Wimbledon debut at age 27 right after claiming the first ATP title of his career, reached the quarterfinals at a major for the first time by stunning two-time Slam runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a little over three hours on Monday.
‘Can’t describe the surreal feeling’: Eubanks after win against Tsitsipas
“It’s surreal. I can’t really describe it,” said Eubanks, who is from Atlanta and played college tennis at Georgia Tech.
“I just think the entire experience, all together, has just been a whirlwind. It’s been something that you dream about,” Eubanks said. “I didn’t really know if that dream would actually come true. I’m sitting here in it now, so it’s pretty cool.”
He is ranked a career-best 43rd right now and had a win-loss record of merely 6-10 before going on the run to the trophy at Mallorca, Spain, on July 1. That came on grass, which he decided he hated a month ago — calling it “the stupidest surface” in a text he sent to International Tennis Hall of Fame member Kim Clijsters — after exiting in the second round at a low-level ATP Challenger Tour event.
“Those words will never come out of my mouth for the rest of my career. The grass and I, we’ve had a very strenuous, I would say, relationship over the years,” Eubanks said after accumulating 53 winners, 16 more than Tsitsipas. “But right now, I think it’s my best friend.”
He is now on a nine-match winning streak after adding the upset of the No. 5-seeded Tsitsipas to an earlier victory over No. 12 Cam Norrie at the All England Club. Next comes another challenge, meeting no. 3 Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, for a berth in the semifinals.
“I know I need to be at my 100% and absolute best physically, tennis-wise, and mentally to try to beat him,” said Medvedev, who won his only previous meeting against Eubanks, at the Miami Masters in March. “He is not scared to make a bad shot and still to go to the net and try to finish the point there. Definitely a little bit different from other players.
This is just the ninth Grand Slam tournament for Eubanks, who previously had never been past the second round at one of the sport’s most prestigious events. After questioning his ability to contend for titles, Eubanks thought about pursuing television commentary instead, and he’s worked on-air for Tennis Channel.
But he sure is having a terrific time with a racket in his hand these days.
And between matches, too.
“I checked my phone. It’s a bit nuts right now. It’s crazy to see my social media feed that I’m just used to kind of going to (and now) seeing it’s a lot of me. I’m like, What is this? This is weird,'” Eubanks said. “But I think I’ve been able to find a way to compartmentalize everything, realize this is a pretty big moment, but also saying, This is a tennis match that I need to play in a couple days.’”
During the latter phases towards Tsitsipas, Eubanks waved his palms to the gang to induce it to get louder. After smacking a one-handed down-the-line backhand winner that completed with the flourish of a flowing follow-through, giving him a smash for a 4-3 edge within the 5th set, Eubanks held his proper index finger to his ear, To set up search extra noise.
When he confirmed a little of nerves whilst serving for the victory, lacking a backhand, then a volley, he controlled to calm down.
“Although it got a little bit dicey at the end,” Eubanks stated, “I nonetheless can have the arrogance to mention: I’m a server. I hit serving goals for those moments proper right here, and let’s simply attempt to do what I understand how to do.’”
He closed it out with a 127 mph ace adopted via a forehand winner and, after shaking arms with Tsitsipas, stood on the heart of the court docket together with his thumbs up, his palms unfold large and a grin to compare.
Eubanks soaked up the entire cheers — his supporters incorporated Coco Gauff, the American who reached the fourth spherical in her Wimbledon debut at age 15 in 2019 and used to be the runner-up at 18 on the French Open ultimate yr — after which curled his hands. to show his arms into the form of a center.