Sept. 2, 2017
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech men’s tennis senior Christopher Eubanks and Christian Harrison used three breaks and deadly first serves to down the doubles duo of Mischa Zverev and Mikhail Youzhny, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, in the first round of men’s doubles action in the 2017 U.S. Open on Saturday afternoon.
The American tandem had four break-point opportunities and converted three of them to help advance to the second round. The two also combined for four aces and 51 points on first serves compared to Youzhny and Zverev’s two and 41.
Eubanks and Harrison got off to a fast start in the match, taking the first set 6-3. Youzhny and Zverev, however, wouldn’t go away quietly, taking the second set 6-4 to force the third and prolong the drama.
In the final set, both teams battled tough, but Eubanks and Harrison were able to serve out the match to finish off the first-round victory.
Eubanks and Harrison will now prepare for their second-round matchup against the Netherlands duo of Robin Haase and Matwe Middelkoop, who needed just two sets (6-3, 6-4) to defeat Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut in round one. The schedule for round two has yet to be announced.
NOTES:
The average age for Eubanks/Harrison (22) is more than 10 years younger than that of Youzhny/Zverev (32.5) … the fourth doubles victory for Eubanks on the circuit, he is now 8-2 in his last 10 matches … the victory is the first doubles win for the 23-year-old Harrison after a two-year hiatus … the loss is Zverev’s ninth first-round defeat in 2017 … the loss is the 12th-straight opening round exit for Youzhny.
For the latest information on Georgia Tech Men’s Tennis, follow us on Twitter (@GT_MTEN), Instagram (GT_MTEN), Facebook (Georgia Tech Men’s Tennis) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
