July 31, 2016
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech men’s tennis rising junior Christopher Eubanks showed the tennis world that he means business Sunday afternoon, beating Thiago Monteiro of Brazil, 6-4, 7-5, in straight sets in the qualifier of the BB&T Atlanta Open, claiming a spot in the main singles draw. Monteiro is currently ranked No. 104 in the world.
“I started off playing well and I think I carried it through,” said Eubanks. “I had a little blip in the second set but I was able to serve it out. I thought I played well and kept my emotions in check.”
Eubanks came out ready to go and took the first set 6-4 to set the tone of the match on the stadium court in Atlantic Station. Monteiro, ranked No. 104 in the world, struck first in the second set and the pair battled back and forth, knotting it up at 5-5. Eubanks took the next two games to secure his spot in the main draw with the tiebreaker, 7-5.
In the semifinals Saturday afternoon, he took down Tommy Paul (USA) in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5.
“Words can’t describe it,” said Eubanks about the victory. “It’s like a dream, and I’m not hoping to wake up any time soon.”
Eubanks will now compete in both the doubles and singles main draw in the BB&T Atlanta Open at Atlantic Station this week. He will compete with Georgia State’s Zack Kennedy in doubles competition on College Night on Tuesday, Aug. 2. Eubanks will face his doubles partner from last year’s BB&T Atlanta Open, Donald Young, alongside Rajeev Ram. His match-up in the singles draw will be released following the completion of the other qualifying matches.
“I think it will be a lot of resting and letting the emotions settle a little bit,” said Eubanks of his preparation for the upcoming week of competition. “We are going to go to Tech and shoot around at McCamish to get some shots up and relax and unwind a little bit. I’m going to enjoy this moment, because it is a pretty incredible moment.”
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter (@GT_MTEN), Facebook (Georgia Tech Men’s Tennis) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
