2017 Charlottesville Challenger

Chris Eubanks, 2017 Charlottesville Challenger (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

Newly Minted Pro Chris Eubanks Back to Winning Ways at 2017 Charlottesville Challenger
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

(Charlottesville, VA–October 31) Eight days ago, Chris Eubanks announced that he would give up his final season of eligibility at Georgia Tech to turn pro. Not much else has changed for Eubanks in that time, as the 2016 Charlottesville semifinalist simply returned to his winning ways here in a tight two-set victory over Canadian Samuel Monette, 7-6(9), 6-4. He had plenty of praise for his opponent after notching pro victory Numero Uno.

“I knew that (Monette) going in, it was going to be a grind to play him. He fights as good as anybody out there. He makes you play,” he said of the young Canadian. “I had a very slow start and my legs weren’t working. I don’t know what it was, but luckily after I got a couple of holds I kind of found my legs,” he continued.

As is so often the case, the long tiebreak would prove momentous in this match as well. “The breaker was a battle, a really big momentum shifter,” Eubanks said. “Whoever got that breaker was going to have a little extra juice and I was fortunate to save a couple of set points and come out on top of the breaker and give me some momentum.”

Eubanks gained that momentum and served first in the second set.

Like most players, Eubanks refuses to use numerical rankings toward his near and short-term goals. “Just to be be better every day,” he said. “I don’t want to put certain numbers or quantitative benchmarks on it. I just want to continue to progress and say ‘Hey, I think I’m a better player than I was two months ago’. When the end of December comes and I can say that I’m a much better player than I am right at this moment, then I think I had a successful year.”

You know you’ve got a Georgia Tech engineer on your hands when “quantitative benchmarks” come up at a tennis court. Eubanks will face Next Gen contender Michael Mmoh in Round 2.

Qualifiers Gnaw Way Into Main Draw at 2017 Charlottesville Challenger
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

Alex Rybakov, 2017 Charlottesville Challenger (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

(Charlottesville, VA-October 30)–Qualifying concluded at the 2017 ATP Charlottesville Challenger at the Boar’s Head Resort in Charlottesville, Virginia this afternoon. The four qualifiers are set: South Africa’s Ruan Roelofse survived a three-setter against Alexander Ritschard, 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-3. With 63 life years combined on court, 29-year-old Edward Corrie of Great Britain earned an impressive, calculated comeback against 34-year-old Frederik Nielsen, 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-4. American Jared Hiltzik advanced over Canadian Samuel Monette in two tiebreaks, 7-6(6), 7-6(4). Joining Hiltzik in the draw is fellow American Alex Rybakov, who at 20, was the youngest to qualify in Charlottesville after a 6-1, 5-7, 7-5 thriller over Neil Pauffley of Great Britain.

“The past couple of weeks I had some really tough matches, 7-6 in the third, that I lost,” Rybakov told me. “Here, I’m ready all day for anything. I put my heart out and at the end of the day I was ready for it,” he said.

As far as his chances go in the main draw, “it’s good,” he said. “I like playing qualifying because you get a couple of matches on the courts and if you qualify you’re used to the courts going in. This is my sixth challenger so I’m getting a good feel for it.”

Although the four qualifiers hadn’t been drawn in at the time of this report, two of them will play Filip Peliwo and Liam Broady in Round 1, and two of them will face each other.