LONDON, UK — One of the more remarkable Cinderella runs at Wimbledon in recent memory has come to an end.
Christopher Eubanks, an Atlanta native and Georgia Tech alum, went up two sets to one in his quarterfinal match with third-seeded Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday in London, and had a victory within reach - only to drop a fourth-set tiebreak and then run out of steam in the fifth, deciding set.
Medvedev advanced to the semifinals 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-1.
It looked for the middle part of the match that Eubanks might prevail, as he put the favored Russian on his heels with precision shot placement and an aggressive net game. But it wasn't quite enough.
11Alive was at a watch party at Georgia Tech for Eubanks. Dozens attended the watch party, including Georgia Tech students, faculty, and alumnus.
Georgia Tech finance professor Jacqueline Garner, who had the chance to briefly meet Eubanks, said he has been the perfect example of an underdog who made it to the top.
"It's been great because it's getting people excited," she said. "What a great opportunity for someone here in Atlanta, maybe a young person playing tennis, maybe that inspires them to be an athlete or even come to Georgia Tech, but at least inspires them that they, too, could be on a big world stage."
While it's not the outcome they expected, fans at Georgia Tech, including grad student Ryan Giometti, said they are excited to see where he goes next.
"Chris Eubanks played absolutely beautifully," he said. "It's been great to see. I'm new to watching tennis, this is a new sport for me, but seeing such an entertaining player that went to the same school I go to now and is from Atlanta has been really exciting."
It was a tennis match played by an unmatched player, who has inspired his Atlanta community and America.
While his Wimbledon Cinderella story may be ending for now, his fans said his tennis takeoff is just getting started.
"He’s become the underdog that has made his way," Garner added. "He beat Tsitsipas who is the number 5 in the world. That’s amazing. Now, he’s going to be seeded in other tournaments and I think that’s a big confidence builder for him."
The graduate of Westlake High School in Fulton County is inspiring many along the way, including Andrew Li who played tennis with him at Georgia Tech.
"There’s a lot of behind the scenes, hard work that he has put in, frustration he has been through that a lot of people may not have seen," Li said. "It's not always this glamorous but seeing his hard work pay off, I'm just very happy for him."
The metro Atlanta community was buzzing with excitement - including Georgia Tech's mascot, Buzz.
Giometti said he's ready to see where he can see him next.
"He’s coming to the Atlanta Open soon. I'm considering seeing if I can get tickets now. They might be selling out after this," he said.
More on Christopher Eubanks and his run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals
Eubanks, 27, had never even reached the third round of a Grand Slam tournament before this Wimbledon run. He won his first ATP tournament just a month ago in Mallorca, Spain.
In the run-up to Wednesday's match, the Westlake High and Georgia Tech alum defeated both 12th-seeded Cameron Norrie - the top-ranked British player in the tournament and a home favorite in London - and 5th-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.
The Wimbledon Twitter account has described him as a "breakthrough star" of the tournament.
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