Aug. 30, 2017
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech men’s tennis senior Christopher Eubanks will join Christian Harrison in the first round of main draw doubles play in the 2017 U.S. Open. The final schedule for the doubles has yet to be announced.
The American duo will have their work cut out for them as they take on Mischa Zverev of Germany and Mikhail Youzhny of Russia.
Entering the U.S. Open with a 4-5 doubles record for his career, this will be the first doubles match in just over two years for Harrison. The 245 th-ranked Louisiana native last competed in a doubles tournament match in 2015 when he and brother Ryan Harrison – who defeated Eubanks this summer in the BB&T Open quarterfinals – went 1-1 in the Winston-Salem Open in North Carolina. The Harrison brothers reached the U.S. Open doubles quarterfinals in 2012, but ultimately fell 6-2, 6-3 to eventual semifinalists Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Jean-Julien Rojer.
Eubanks enters the match with a 3-2 doubles record on the circuit, most recently competing in the Nielsen Pro Tennis Championship with Brandon Holt in Winnetka, Ill. Georgia Tech volunteer assistant coach Kevin King and the Atlanta native captured the championship at the U.S.A. F19 in Winston-Salem, N.C., in June, failing to give up a set during the entire tournament.
The two-time ACC Player of the Year also holds a 53-42 career doubles record with the Yellow Jackets. Last season, Eubanks continued to be strong in doubles, winning the mixed doubles title with North Carolina’s Haley Carter at the Oracle ITA Masters in Malibu, Calif. Just one year prior, Eubanks compiled a 16-3 doubles record as a sophomore with teammate Carlos Benito, helping skyrocket the duo to a No. 36 national ranking.
Zverev enters the tournament with 61-75 career doubles record and a 15-17 record this year, including one title. Alongside younger brother Alexander, Mischa captured his third career doubles title at the 2017 Open Sud De France in Montpellier. The brothers also reached the finals at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany, before dropping a heartbreaking tiebreaker, 10-8. In singles play, Mischa Zverev is currently ranked No. 27 in the ATP World Tour after earning the biggest win of his career over No. 1 Andy Murray to reach his first Grand Slam qualifier at the 2017 Australian Open.
Thirty-five-year-old Youzhny will start doubles play in the U.S. Open with a 0-4 doubles record this year and a 153-190 career mark, including nine titles – all before 2012. His last doubles title came at The Zagreb Open in Croatia, with his most recent success coming in 2015 at the St. Petersburg Open where he reached the semifinals with Andrey Rublev. In singles competition, Youzhny is currently ranked No. 101 in ATP World Tour, boasting 10 titles (most recently, two in 2013) en route to the second-most career wins among Russian players with 490.
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