The feeling was unmistakable among the swelling crowd of Georgia Tech fans watching former star tennis player Christopher Eubanks in the Wimbledon quarterfinals: hope.
As Eubanks pushed world No. 3 Daniil Medvedev to the brink, supporters in Midtown urged him on, cheering his fearsome cross-court forehand and aggressive net game. An Atlanta native, Eubanks became a crowd favorite in London as the unlikely underdog winner in a five-set battle with No. 5 player Stefanos Tsitsipas.
He also came to represent the excitement and potential bubbling under the surface on the Flats, a feeling evident at the Coda Courtyard near Tech Square. By lunchtime Wednesday, hundreds of Tech fans were gathered at a hastily organized watch party, agonizing over every shot in the match’s bruising fourth set.
According to Tech officials, the event came together after a fan asked Athletic Director J Batt on social media about a Eubanks/Wimbledon watch party. The idea got a buy-in from both Batt and President Angel Cabrera, said Sarah Richardson, associate director of stewardship for the Alexander-Tharpe Fund. She was one of several Tech staff members at the Coda building, all of whom were glued to the screens.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
A group of about 50 spectators arrived in time for the first serve and mirrored the Wimbledon crowd, watching in hushed anticipation as Eubanks dropped the first set to the Russian Medvedev. The doors to the food hall were open wide, but the interior seating was nearly empty as the match drew everyone to the courtyard and its huge LED screens.
Jennifer Rockett came to Wednesday morning’s viewing party with her husband, Adam, and their newborn baby. Both parents are on leave from work and have been watching the Wimbledon matches “religiously” each morning while they are up with their baby.
“I was watching him when he won three matches ago,” Jennifer Rockett said. “I saw the GT hat, and I was super surprised. It kind of made you want to root for him.”
Though many casual fans were just learning about Eubanks, followers of tennis knew him from a decorated three-year career at Tech. During his freshman year, he competed at the top of Tech’s lineup, and in his second season, he finished with a record of 34-7 in singles matches – the second-most wins in program history. He was ranked eighth nationally in singles and was named All-ACC, ITA All-American and ACC Player of the Year.
By his third year, Eubanks climbed to fourth in the singles rankings. He reached the quarterfinals in the Atlanta Open and won his first U.S. Open victory in doubles, and elected to turn pro instead of returning for his senior season.
Credit: Katelyn Myrick
Credit: Katelyn Myrick
Adam Rockett said his family members are huge fans of both sports and Tech. Both Jennifer and Adam Rockett graduated from Tech, in 2012 and 2011, respectively, and Adam completed his master’s degree at the institute this year. As an undergrad, he studied abroad in England and was able to attend some Wimbledon matches, further deepening the connection.
Showcasing their Tech pride at Wednesday’s event was important to both Rocketts, they said. The pair came dressed in navy, gold and yellow — head to toe.
“We’re just thrilled to see him representing our school,” Adam Rockett said. “Tech is known for, you know, engineering and math and science and everything. But Tech has great sports programs. … We don’t get to see tennis all that much, so it was exciting to see somebody have a lot of success.”
Martin Westley and Patti Willard, retired designers who rode MARTA to the watch party, were excited for an opportunity to visit the relatively new Coda building and to cheer on a former Yellow Jacket. They said they were moderate tennis fans before this year’s Wimbledon, “but this guy is blowing me away,” Willard said of Eubanks.
The couple’s attendance at Tech sporting events had faded with some of the program’s struggles in recent years, Westley said, but they were relishing their chance to visit the campus.
Carolyn Braun, a rising third-year at Tech, also enjoyed being part of the crowd. She said she’s been watching Eubanks’ matches in her room, but wanted to take the unique opportunity to watch a successful Tech athlete along with the rest of her community.
“Tech is always everywhere with academics,” Braun said. “We’re always kind of in the world news with things happening, new policies, new inventions … but it’s really cool to see us in the news for an athlete.”
Michael DuBose, another Tech student, came with Braun. Though he hasn’t been religiously watching Wimbledon, he said the match felt special to him as both a Georgia native and a Tech student.
Watching Eubanks succeed filled him with a special kind of pride, he said.
“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.”
By lunchtime, the crowd had swelled into the hundreds. The grandstands in London were buzzing as Eubanks took the second and third sets from Medvedev in convincing fashion. Buzz, Tech’s mascot, bustled through the watch party playfully closing remote workers’ laptops as the match reached its crescendo.
The fourth set went back and forth without either player winning a break. Medvedev, who seemed unsettled earlier in the match when he smacked a ball away in frustration and argued with the umpire, fell into a deadly rhythm with his serve.
On the precipice of the Wimbledon semifinals, Eubanks appeared to tighten during the tiebreak and could not hold serve. After losing the tiebreak 7-4, he served first in the final set but was immediately broken by Medvedev. After that, the Russian cruised to win the fifth set 6-1 and earn one of the last four spots in the tournament.
Eubanks received a standing ovation as he exited the court, a warm sendoff that was mirrored in Midtown.
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