"My dad's first words to me was try to get out of the first round" - Christopher Eubanks reflects on scintillating week in Miami from qualifiers to QF
Christopher Eubanks expressed his feelings after reaching the quarterfinals of the Miami Open from the qualification rounds.
He entered the Masters 1000 event on the back of a four-match losing streak, with early exits at the Mexican Open and the Indian Wells Masters. However, the American turned the tides in his favor with scintillating wins over the likes of Borna Coric, Gregoire Barrere and Adrian Mannarino.
The 26-year-old has never made it to the last eight of any tournament on the main tour. He spoke about the career-changing past few days at the Miami Open in his post-match interview.
"Last night, there were so many emotions I couldn’t even sleep, just being able to finally put together a dream that took 5 years. I came here in qualies. My dad’s first words to me when I left Atlanta was to try to get out of the 1st round," Christopher Eubanks said.
Chris Eubanks on reaching 1st Masters QF: “Last night, there were so many emotions I couldn’t even sleep… Just being able to finally put together a dream that took 5 years.. I came here in qualies. My dad’s 1st words to me when I left Atlanta was try to get out of the 1st round” https://t.co/QJr51d1a9p
The World No. 119 turned pro in 2017 and has managed to win three ATP Challenger Series titles in the United States of America. His previous best result was reaching the last 16 at the 2017 Atlanta Open, before bowing out to Jared Donaldson in a close three-set tie.
Eubanks spoke about the positive messages he's been receiving from his family and friends and stated that the love and support means more than anything else.
"That's the craziest part about it, you know man I'm not such an emotional person, obviously making the top 100 is great and you saw my emotions last night but after seeing the messages and replaying the videos, I'm just seeing myself constantly tearing up. I'm scared to open my phone right now, I don't know how many messages are gonna be there. A lot of people are reaching out and saying they're so happy for me. That means more than anything else," Christopher Eubanks said in his post-match interview.
Christopher Eubanks to square off against Daniil Medvedev next at the Miami Open
Christopher Eubanks and former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev will battle it out for a place in the semifinals of the Miami Open on Thursday. The duo have never faced each other on the main tour and their head-to-head is locked at 0-0.
The American will need to play out of his skin to challenge Medvedev, who's amassed 22 wins from his last 23 matches and title-winning runs in Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai. If he manages to cause an upset, it will undoubtedly be the biggest win of his career.
The winner of this tie could square off against Francisco Cerundolo or Karen Khachanov in the semifinals.