By Erik Gudris | @atntennis | Tuesday, July 25, 2023
Chris Eubanks, fresh off of his surprise run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals a few weeks ago, enjoyed an opening round win at his hometown event - the Atlanta Open.
The 27-year-old Atlanta native defeated fellow American and wild card Andres Martin 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday night.
The match itself was billed as a Georgia Tech showdown with Eubanks having attended and played college tennis for the Atlanta based university from 2015 to 2017. Martin is currently on the Georgia Tech team.
Eubanks, who showed off his serving prowess at Wimbledon that included upset wins over Stefanos Tsitsipas, kept up the big serving last night. In nine service game, Eubanks was never broken and lost only six points on his serve the entire match.
Afterwards, Eubanks was asked about returning home after such a whirlwind experience at Wimbledon and coming up against a fellow Georgia Tech player.
“I tried not to think about it too much. It was more so that Andres and I know each other really well,” Eubanks said. “He’s the guy I practice with the most out of anybody in Atlanta when I’m home. I knew that I’m going to know his game, and he’s going to know my game.
"I just wanted to focus in and lock in on every point and just let the rest take care of itself.”
Eubanks has been on steady rise up the rankings in the last few weeks since winning his first ATP title ever in Mallorca backed up by him reaching the last eight in Wimbledon. Having won 10 of his last 11 matches since Mallorca, Eubanks has climbed up to World No. 32.
“It’s been a dream come true,” Eubanks said about his rise. “I left probably in April, was on the road for 12 straight week, playing maybe 11 of them, and I had some ups and downs, but the ups came towards the end, and it’s going really well.
"I hope to keep it going.”
Eubanks next faces another American Brandon Nakashima in the next round in their first ever ATP Tour main draw match.
Photo Credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport