American Chris Eubanks stuns in Wimbledon debut, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas to reach quarter finals
London — American Chris Eubanks has become the talk of the tennis world after reaching the Wimbledon quarter finals in his first-ever outing on the vaunted court in London. In doing so, the former Georgia Tech player has overcome one of his long-time nemeses — grass courts — and his big personality is also winning new fans on tennis' most hallowed ground.
Eubanks only broke into the world top 100 this year, but his Monday match saw him up against fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece.
Over five sets, the Atlanta native dug deep. Towering over the court at 6-foot-7, Eubanks has a killer serve, regularly hurtling the ball over the net at over 120 miles per hour.
The last American man to reach the final at Wimbledon was Andy Roddick in 2009. The last man from the U.S. to actually win the championship was Pete Sampras in 2000.
Eubanks, however, has already won over the Wimbledon crowd with his easy charm.
"Because of this atmosphere you guys pushed me to be able to do some incredible stuff," he told the fans in Wimbledon's No. 2 Court after his Monday win.
He puts those people skills to work in his side hustle, too, already building a burgeoning career as a sports commentator.
Just a few weeks ago, Eubanks said he hated playing on grass. But after Monday's win, he's declared it his best friend.
Eubanks also credited his other friends and fellow Americans, Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka, for his success, saying they always believed in him.
He'll play his quarter final match Wednesday against Daniil Medvedev, who's ranked number three in the world.