Christopher Eubanks might have lost, but he put his name in the Wimbledon record books on his way out.
The remarkable run for Eubanks ended with a five-set loss to No. 3 Danill Medvedev in the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam on Wednesday. The Atlanta native from Westlake High and Georgia Tech finished with more winners than Medvedev, 74-52, and raised his tournament total to 321. That broke break Andre Agassi’s 1992 mark for most winners at a single Wimbledon (since 1977).
Not bad.
Eubanks woke up before the biggest match of his career and took a few minutes to appreciate that the tennis world was abuzz – and it was all about him – from the All England to back home in Atlanta.
“It was just constant me,” Eubanks said after the loss. “I was just like, ‘This is so weird.’ I looked at it. I was like, ‘Man, I’m really about to play a Grand Slam quarterfinal today. This is cool.’”
He pushed Medvedev, the 2021 U.S. Open champion, the distance, taking a two-sets-to-one lead before running out of aces and energy. Basking in the roars from the stands at No. 1 Court, the unseeded Eubanks came within four points of winning to extend his deepest run, by far, at a major tournament before Medvedev pulled away for a 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1 victory to reach the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time.
“It’s like his level elevated into the fifth,” Eubanks said, “where I had a little bit of a drop.”
Back home, a crowd of a couple hundred attended a watch party at Georgia Tech.
Tech student Michael DuBose said the match felt special to him as both a Georgia native and a Tech student.
“It’s not every day that the Tech guy, or like the Atlanta high school kid, is like, in London,” DuBose said. “Let alone at Wimbledon.”
Eubanks will be headed back to Atlanta in the near future. He is scheduled to play in the Atlanta Open. The tournament runs from July 22-30 at Atlantic Station. The two-time All-American and two-time ACC Player of the Year at Tech, is in the field.
Eubanks entered Wimbledon ranked No. 43 in the world after winning his first ATP Tour tournament last week at the Mallorca Championships in Spain. He has advanced through Wimbledon to reach the quarterfinals, including a five-set victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday.
Eubanks held a two-sets-to-one lead and all that buzz got even louder with a chance at the semifinals.
“The fans,” he would say afterward, “definitely got their money’s worth.”
Medvedev’s take on the way spectators backed Eubanks over the past 1-1/2 weeks, which included wins against No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas and No. 12 Cam Norrie: “Maybe his tennis. Maybe he’s underdog.”
So close to moving on, Eubanks faltered. So close to the brink, Medvedev surged, taking four of the following five points and pushing things to a fifth set.
Medvedev, who won 28 of the 30 points he served in that set, shook his racket. He was fully back in the match — and, it turned out, on his way to a win.
“That’s why he is who he is,” Eubanks said, “and that’s why he’s done the things that he’s done in the sport.”
When the match ended, when Eubanks’ wonderful ride was over, he was sent off toward the locker room by a loud and lengthy standing ovation – in England and beyond.
About the Author
