Christopher Eubanks held his nerve to upset fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Monday and reach his maiden major quarter-final at the Wimbledon 2023.
At Wimbledon 2023, Christopher Eubanks' scorching run on the grass doesn't appear to be slowing down. The American maintained his composure to defeat Stefanos Tsitsipas, the fifth seed, 3-6, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, on Monday and advance to his first-ever major quarterfinal at SW19. Prior to Wimbledon, Eubanks won his maiden ATP Tour championship in Mallorca. He defeated the Greek in a serve-dominated match that featured quick rallies to secure his ninth straight tour-level victory.
“I feel like I'm living a dream right now. This is absolutely insane,” said an elated Eubanks in his on-court interview. “When you paint all of the context… I’ve tried so much to just block everything out and focus on the next match, as cliché as it sounds, but [reaching my first major quarter-final] is surreal. I can’t believe it.”
Eubanks' ability to be ruthless with his opportunities on return was crucial to his victory on No. 2 Court. After Tsitsipas double faulted to give him the winning break in the ninth game of the fourth set, the American, who had not earned a single break point in the first three sets, twice powered clean backhand down-the-line winners to convert break points in the decider, capping a historic three-hour, four-minute victory.
“The funny thing about tennis is that you’re not always going to play your best,” said Eubanks. “You’ve just got to play really good at certain times, and I feel like I did that really well today all around.
“When it came to really important times, I feel like I executed really clearly, and I played well. I feel like I had ups and downs, which you can imagine [playing] for the first time in the fourth round of a Slam, but I came up clutch when I needed to.”
With Eubanks' triumph, multiple Wimbledon debutants made it to the men's singles quarterfinals for the first time in the Open Era as Roman Safiullin also advanced to the last eight in London. The third seed, Daniil Medvedev, who had earlier defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-2 in the fourth round, will be the American's opponent next.
In their first Lexus ATP Head2Head match, Tsitsipas came out swinging behind his serve, making a victory for Eubanks earlier seem impossible. The Greek only gave up nine points on serve in the first and second sets, but a crucial double fault by Eubanks at 3/4 of the second-set tie-break allowed the match to be tied at one set apiece.
Unfazed by his defeat, Tsitsipas regained the upper hand with a commanding third-set performance in which his serve and enormous forehand combined to overwhelm Eubanks. However, the American showed great tenacity to hold off the World No. 5, as another double fault by Tsitsipas at 4-5, 30/40 forced a decider.
It was Eubanks who best tapped into the wild energy, with a captive audience savouring every moment. Both of his backhand breaks in the first and seventh games, as well as the crushing forehand winner he hit on match point to clinch his first Top 5 victory, demonstrated his recent rise in self-assurance on grass.
“The grass and I have had a very strenuous, I would say, relationship over the years,” said Eubanks. “But right now, I think it’s my best friend.”
