Christopher Eubanks

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Second Time’s a Charm as @Chris_Eubanks96 Qualifies for @NewYorkOpen Main Draw

Posted by Admin on February 11, 2019
Posted in: ATP, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Adrian Menedez Maceiras

Christopher Eubanks and Ernesto Escobedo traded blows for three sets at New York Open qualifying today, with Eubanks down a break in the third before bringing it home for his first qualifying in two attempts at the New York Open. And the opponent who beat him last year? That’s right. Escobedo.

“7-5 in the 3rd,” Eubanks said after the win. “Exact same score, It feels pretty good, you get a little bit of revenge and let things turn around the opposite way. It’s pretty ironic, same exact round, same exact tournament, same exact score, in theory. It was pretty fortunate for me to go my way.”

It was pretty ironic that he knew the exact scoreline from last year. Well done.

“I think I just kind of stayed dialed in, every point,” he said of the comeback win. “When you get down like that, it’s pretty easy to just want to pack it in. Playing it point by point, hoping for the best, hoping for an opportunity. You put yourself in position to capitalize. I just tried to stay dialed in on my serve.“

All players love the surface they’re currently winning on, but Eubanks was emphatic, given the uniqueness of the black courts. “I like it. I like it,” he said. “Last year was my first time playing on the court and it took a little bit of getting used to and sometimes the court felt hollow. It was so slow. This year it’s a little quicker and it’s helping my serve.”

But my favorite response was the refreshing one about the draw.

“I’m not that superstitious about it,” Eubanks told press. “If the draw comes out, I’m anxious to see who some of my friends are playing, so it’s not that big a deal to me.”

Refreshing answers, and after all, it’s nice to have refreshments with a popcorn match.

—S. Fogleman

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Qualifiers Advance, Main Draw Underway @NewYorkOpen

Posted by Admin on February 12, 2018
Posted in: ATP, ATP Qualifying, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Qualifiers Advance, Main Draw Underway @NewYorkOpen
Steve Fogleman, Tennis Atlantic

New York Open Grandstand Court

New York Open Grandstand Court

Chris Eubanks won a tight first set against Ernesto Escobedo today before Escobedo took control of the match to qualify at the New York Open, an ATP 250 event at NYCB Live in Uniondale. A late first set time violation warning confused Escobedo long enough to drop the opener before coming back to win, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

“Maybe I did go over the time by a little bit,” he said. “It was a big point and he broke me. I didn’t focus in my service game (in the first). After the first set, I just told myself to keep on going, stay positive and keep on working hard.”

Ernesto Escobedo (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Ernesto Escobedo (Photo: Tennis Atlantic)

Escobedo agreed with me that his little bit of pro experience was the edge between EE and Eubanks today. “I believe so because late in the second set he looked super-tired, so that was a key sign to me,” he said.  “And I just told myself to keep pushing and stay positive to win this match. But on the other side of things, (Eubanks) had a great serve, how many aces did he have, like 40?”

Eubanks  had 24.

He loves the courts. They’re “super-slow”, Escobedo said.

Two out of four possible American qualifiers became a reality this afternoon and it was a good day for American tennis. Adrian Menendez-Maceiras was the first to qualify today with a straight sets victory over Liam Broady, 7-5, 6-3. He was the only one who had an easy ride. The other two qualifiers, Bjorn Fratangelo and Stefano Travaglia, needed three sets to advance.

The last time Travaglia stopped through New York, he qualified for his first U.S. Open. This time, he qualified for the New York Open and did it the sneaky way, holding off four match points to win a 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(3) thriller. The hardest part was coming straight from Quito, Ecuador and their altitude to play an indoor event in New York, he said.

Quick Qualifying Concludes Today @NewYorkOpen

Posted by Admin on February 12, 2018
Posted in: ATP, ATP Qualifying, New York, New York Open. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Under the retired Number 32 banner, the number belonging to pro basketball legend Julius Erving at NYCB Live, Liam Broady won the first set and the first match of the Inaugural New York Open, an ATP 250 tour event in Uniondale, NY on Sunday on Stadium Court. He played a familiar foe in countryman Cameron Norrie. For his part, Broady will face Adrian Menendez-Maceiras and be relegated to the Grandstand Court today. Stadium Court, like the sports history memories made within the former Nassau County Veterans Coliseum hosting this tournament is an American showcase today.

Chris Eubanks takes on compatriot Ernesto Escobedo, Bjorn Fratangelo faces Alex Bulbik from Kazakhstan and Jared Donaldson meets big Croatian Ivo Karlovic. And that’s just the day session. Tonight’s line up on the same court features Ryan Harrison against Donald Young and Frances Tiafoe looking to spoil Sebastian Korda’s tour level main draw debut.

Eubanks effectively breezed through his match yesterday against top qualifying seed Taro Daniel in 71 minutes and seemed to draw a lot of inspiration from the section full of American players there to cheer on their man. He can expect more of that today, and I expect that he will overcome Escobedo, a player with more experience at the pro level.

The last time Stefano Travaglia came to New York, he qualified for the U.S. Open. Today, he faces Tim Smyczek on grandstand court in an attempt to qualify for the New York Open. In a two round qualifier, anything can happen. And I believe Travaglia will head into a New York main draw for the second consecutive time.

–S. Fogleman

RESULTS – MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2018
Qualifying – [WC] C. Eubanks (USA) d [1] T. Daniel (JPN) 7-5 6-3
Qualifying – [2] B. Fratangelo (USA) d [WC] G. Kushnirovich (USA) 6-4 6-2
Qualifying – [Alt] L. Broady (GBR) d [3] C. Norrie (GBR) 6-4 7-6(7)
Qualifying – [4] T. Smyczek (USA) d M. Mmoh (USA) 6-2 6-3
Qualifying – [5] A. Menendez-Maceiras (ESP) d [Alt] D. King (BAR) 7-6(6) 7-5
Qualifying – [6] A. Bublik (KAZ) d S. Ofner (AUT) 7-5 6-1
Qualifying – [7] E. Escobedo (USA) d R. Ramanathan (IND) 7-5 6-3
Qualifying – [8] S. Travaglia (ITA) d P. Polansky (CAN) 5-7 6-4 6-4

ORDER OF PLAY – MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2018

STADIUM COURT start 1:00 pm
Qualifying – [WC] C. Eubanks (USA) vs [7] E. Escobedo (USA)
Qualifying – [2] B. Fratangelo (USA) vs [6] A. Bublik (KAZ)
J. Donaldson (USA) vs I. Karlovic (CRO)

Not Before 7:30 pm
[6] R. Harrison (USA) vs D. Young (USA)
F. Tiafoe (USA) vs [WC] S. Korda (USA)

GRANDSTAND start 1:00 pm
Qualifying – [Alt] L. Broady (GBR) vs [5] A. Menendez-Maceiras (ESP)
Qualifying – [4] T. Smyczek (USA) vs [8] S. Travaglia (ITA)
D. Sela (ISR) vs [8] N. Basilashvili (GEO)
P. Gojowczyk (GER) / T. Huey (PHI) vs [WC] M. McDonald (USA) / M. Schnur (USA)

Newly Minted Pro @Chris_Eubanks96 Back to Winning Ways at 2017 Charlottesville Challenger

Posted by Admin on October 31, 2017
Posted in: ATP, ATP Challenger, Charlottesville, USTA, USTA Pro Circuit. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment
Chris Eubanks, 2017 Charlottesville Challenger (Photo: TennisAtlantic.com)

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.

Storybook Run Continues for Chris Eubanks @BBTAtlantaOpen

Posted by Admin on July 28, 2017
Posted in: Atlanta, ATP, BB&T Atlanta Open, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Storybook Run Continues for Chris Eubanks at BB&T Atlanta Open
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

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Georgia Tech Senior Chris Eubanks won the second ATP match of his career, upsetting American young gun Jared Donaldson 6-4 4-6 6-2 in the second round of the 2017 BB&T Atlanta Open. The local favorite Eubanks backed up his round 1 win against Taylor Fritz, and again showed off fantastic power on the forehand side, and excellent footwork. Eubanks pushed Donaldson around the court in the first and third set. In the first he came back from a break down, securing two breaks in total to take the set. Donaldson hung tight though, breaking and then holding serve without incident in set 2. Even though the momentum was with the top 60 player, it was Eubanks who would break early in the third set, and then after saving a break point and holding for 5-2, he broke Donaldson on his third match point to take the match, rather quickly for a three setter. Although he’s unlikely to turn pro until after he completes college, his performance this week puts him in the conversation as one of the top young American men in tennis. After the win he reacted with pure joy, running around and high fiving spectators in a victory lap.

American men had a great day on Thursday in Atlanta, in the late match Jack Sock backed up his place as the top seed 6-4 6-3. His forehand and serve were too strong for Sela, who lacked the weaponry to compete with the American #1. Sela, who kept a positive attitude throughout the contest was broken in the opening game, and although Sock faced a bit of pressure, he managed to maintain his serve for the first set. In the second set Sela was again broken from the start, and although he had chances in two different Sock service games to break back, he couldn’t take them. Losing momentum, Sock broke late to finish off the match. It wasn’t the cleanest performance for Sock, but it gets him to the quarterfinals.

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Ryan Harrison also kept his seeding, defeating John Millman 6-7 7-6 7-5. Harrison was cranky through the first two sets, but finally found his mojo. The first set featured a long rain delay, as both players traded breaks and ended up in a first set tiebreak. Millman faced pressure on his serve in the first set, but Harrison choked when he had a break point on his racquet. A poor tiebreak put Harrison under the pump. He responded well though, Millman would go up a set and a break, but Harrison used his power and defensive skillset to claw back. Millman was kept behind the baseline, and was broken serving for the match after having a break point/match point at 3-5 in the second set. Harrison would take an ensuing tiebreak to take things into a third set.

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Lacking weaponry, Millman was overpowered in the third set, Harrison continued to struggle on break points, but he did save two on his serve at 2-3 in the third, and finally broke through to go up 6-5 in the third, and then serve out the match. Like Sock, Harrison was sloppy at times on return in particular, but a win is a win, especially in the Atlanta heat.

On the grandstand Kyle Edmund came back from a set down to defeat Peter Gojowczyk 2-6 6-4 7-5. The match was disrupted by a rain delay, but Gojowczyk played a much better first set. In the second set Edmund saved a break point and then broke Gojowczyk in the final game of the set to force a third. Edmund would be under heavy pressure in an up and down third set, he saved three break points at 1-1, lost his serve at 2-2 but broke back, and then finally broke through, breaking Gojowczyk to take the third set 7-5 on his second match point chance. Edmund has a solid chance at claiming the title this week if he can improve his form a bit.

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In the doubles Koolhof/Sitak beat Molteni/Shamasdin, and Millman/Ratiwatana beat Qureshi/Ratiwatana in a matchup between brothers, where Millman found some joy despite the singles loss.

Eubanks Upsets Fritz, Pospisil Wins In Third Set Tiebreak @BBTAtlantaOpen Day 2

Posted by Admin on July 26, 2017
Posted in: Atlanta, ATP, BB&T Atlanta Open, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Eubanks Upsets Fritz, Pospisil Wins In Third Set Tiebreak BB&T Atlanta Open Day 2
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

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Georgia Tech’s Christopher Eubanks claimed his first ever ATP main draw match victory, upsetting ATP young gun Taylor Fritz 7-6 6-4. Eubanks showed his power, controlling the match against the struggling Fritz. The first set was nip and tuck, with neither player facing a breakpoint. Eubanks lost one point on serve in the ensuing tiebreak, but Fritz lost two, and with that, the set. In the second set Eubanks went up a break, and then saved the only break point Fritz created the whole match, going on to serve it out 6-4. Fritz struggling on return to make any inroads.

Joining Eubanks in the second round is Atlanta’s own Donald Young, the home favorite dominated Tim Smyczek 6-4 6-2, playing the same comfortable and smooth tennis that has seen him post one of his best seasons on tour in years, Smyczek never made inroads.

Three young Americans weren’t as lucky on day 2 of main draw action. Reilly Opelka had eight match points in the second set, but his serve fell apart in the third set and he ended up losing to veteran Malek Jaziri 5-7 7-6 6-1. The loss is yet another for Opelka, who has struggled this year to close out matches at the tour level, with just one win on tour this year.

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Vasek Pospisil won a nip and tuck battle against Bjorn Fratangelo 7-5 4-6 7-6. With the ball flying in the heat, Pospisil took the first set with the only break point chance of the set, he failed to break Fratangelo despite three chances in the second set, and Fratangelo stayed alive with a late break. Pospisil faced a break point in the opening service game of the third, and three more serving 4-4, the American never saw a match point though, failing to take his chances on Pospisil’s service games, he would lose the tiebreak 7-3 in the third set.

American Frances Tiafoe hit with power and moved well for three sets, but fell to the more experienced John Millman. Millman winning 5-7 6-4 7-6 in over two hours. Millman struggled on serve in the opening set late on, he saved two break points at 4-4, but then was broken and dropped the set from 5-5.  Tiafoe wasn’t able to keep up his momentum in set 2, he was broken twice, once early on, and even though he got back on serve when Millman was serving for the set, he would get broken in the next game for a third set to ensue. Tiafoe served for the match in the third set, but never had a match point. Millman would break back and then snatch the tiebreak by a narrow margin.

 

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The other singles winners on the day were Kyle Edmund, Peter Gojowczyk, and Dudi Sela. Edmund beat a struggling Marcos Baghdatis 6-3 7-5. Edmund was the better mover, and in the heat Baghdatis wilted a bit, failing to create chances in his return games. Gojowczyk kept up his momentum from a positive week in Newport, he won a later afternoon battle with Guido Pella 4-6 6-3 7-6 even though he was down a set and a break to open the match. The tiebreak was close, but only Gojowczyk had a match point. In a match that was not serve centric, the underpowered Sela beat Konstantin Kravchuk 7-5 6-2, coming back from a break down in the opening set.

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In the doubles, the Bryan Brothers avoided being knocked off by Matt Reid and J.P. Smith via a super tiebreak. Qureshi/Ratiwatana beat Donald Young and Nick Monroe in a very close nightcap match, and Koolhof/Sitak beat Cox/Reinberg in yet another super tiebreak.

 

Eubanks and Krajicek Lead 2016 @BBTAtlantaOpen Qualifiers

Posted by Admin on July 31, 2016
Posted in: Atlanta, ATP, ATP Qualifying, BB&T Atlanta Open, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Eubanks and Krajicek Lead 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open Qualifiers
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

Georgia Tech’s Christopher Eubanks will be facing wild card Reilly Opelka in his ATP debut, after he qualified on Sunday at the 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open. Eubanks stunned the top seed in qualifying, Thiago Monteiro 6-4 7-5, and he’s had to win more matches than any other player to get this far, as he also won the pre-qualifier. Eubanks was strong on his serve in the match, he got a break early in the first, and saved a break point serving for the first set. In the second set he earned a crucial late break after Monteiro had broken him back when he was serving 4-3. Monteiro had a set point/break point opportunity when Eubanks was serving 4-5, but he couldn’t convert it, and Eubanks closed the match out on his second match point chance. Monteiro was suffering from cramps during the match.

Joining Eubanks in the main draw are Austin Krajicek, Mischa Zverev, and J.P. Smith, as final round qualifying matches saw some upsets on the day besides Eubanks big win. Krajicek slipped past James Duckworth 3-6 7-6 7-6, barely prevailing in a match that featured a lengthy rain delay. Zverev won a close match against Nicolas Meister 7-6 7-5, and Smith upset Tobias Kamke 7-6 6-3, as all of the matches today were close ones.

Krajicek faces fellow American Donald Young in the main draw, Smith will face veteran Julien Benneteau, and Zverev has a winnable match against Adrian Mannarino. Monteiro made the main draw as a lucky loser, as Rajeev Ram withdrew. He will face Tim Smyczek in the opening round.

The schedule for tomorrow features Monteiro vs. Smyczek, Groth vs. Donaldson, Krajicek vs. Young, and Eubanks vs. Opelka, along with Mannarino vs. Zverev in terms of singles matches.

ATP Doubles Draw

Ivan Dodig and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi are the top doubles seeds, they open with Jonathan Marray and Adil Shamasdin. The winner of that match will get Kamke/Dusan Lajovic or Marcelo Demoliner/Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

The big server Sam Groth has teamed up with veteran Eric Butorac, they face Swedes Johan Brunstrom/Andreas Siljestrom in round 1, with Dan Evans/Ken Skupski or Nicholas Monroe/Artem Sitak to follow.

Alex Dolgopolov and Sergiy Stakhovsky, Ukraine’s #1 and #2, face James Frawley and Nick Kyrgios on Monday, with Purav Raja/Divij Sharan or Jonathan Erlich/Mariusz Frystenberg to follow.

Mate Pavic and Robert Lindstedt are the #2 doubles seed, they face Andres Molteni and Horacio Zeballos in their first match, with an alternate doubles team or Eubanks/Zack Kennedy of Georgia Tech and Georgia State Universities to follow.

 

Seeds Advance In Saturday Qualifying @BBTAtlantaOpen 2016

Posted by Admin on July 31, 2016
Posted in: Atlanta, ATP, BB&T Atlanta Open, On Site, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Seeds Advance In Saturday Qualifying at BB&T Atlanta Open 2016
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

The seeds advanced to final round qualifying at the 2016 BB&T Atlanta Open, as most of the matches were routine straight set affairs on a Saturday that was interrupted by intermittent rain showers.

ATP veterans Tobias Kamke and Mischa Zverev won the by the exact same score of 6-4 6-2 on the day, over Michael Mmoh, and Matt Reid respectively. Neither player was broken in their matches as they both got necessary breaks to gain quick wins and get out of the heat. Australian James Duckworth made the final round qualies after a 6-2 6-2 victory over Juan Ignacio Londero. Fellow Aussie J.P. Smith joined him as Smith rolled past Andrew Carter 6-3 6-3. The lone South American success on the day, Brazilian top seed Thiago Monteiro dominated the young Trent Bryde 6-0 6-2.

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Americans Chris Eubanks, a Georgia Tech player, Nicolas Meister, and Austin Krajicek also advanced to final round qualies in tighter matches. Eubanks upset Tommy Paul 6-2 7-5, as he scored a late break when the match looked headed for a third set. Meister slipped past Alexander Sarkissian 5-7 6-3 6-4, and Krajicek beat an in-form Lloyd Glasspool 7-6 4-6 6-4 in the tightest match of the day.

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In final round qualifying matches, Kamke will face Smith, Monteiro faces Eubanks, Zverev will be opposite Meister, and Krajicek and Duckworth will battle it out. Kamke, Monteiro, Zverev, and most likely Duckworth will be favorites to qualify for the main draw.

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Player Field for 2015 @BBTAtlantaOpen Rolled Out on Media Day

Posted by Admin on June 15, 2015
Posted in: Atlanta, ATP, BB&T Atlanta Open, Emirates Airlines US Open Series, Steen Kirby. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Player Field for 2015 BB&T Atlanta Open Rolled Out on Media Day
Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic

On a hot summer day at Atlantic Station in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the 2015 BB&T Atlanta Open, led by tournament director Eddie Gonzalez, held court for media day and announced nearly the entire player field for the upcoming edition of the tournament, held July 25-August 2nd at Atlantic Station, where it has been held since 2012, with new things being added to the location each year.

Before getting to the player field it’s worth mentioning that various dignitaries were on hand from BB&T Atlanta Open sponsors BB&T, Lexus, Prince Tennis. This was along with official charity partner the YMCA, and stalwarts in support of tennis in the southeast and in Atlanta from both the USTA southern section, and the recreational Atlanta Lawn Tennis association (ALTA).

Tournament Director Eddie Gonzalez talks about the 2015 Open

Tournament Director Eddie Gonzalez talks about the 2015 Open at Atlantic Station

Lexus is bringing in the fuzzy ball SUV, a Lexus NX wrapped in the felt of a tennis ball, for this years tournament, along with sponsoring the perfect serve display, where fans can test the power of their serves much like the pitching machines you see at baseball games. Prince is the official sponsor of the sport court, a 36 foot court designed to encourage especially the youngest fans at the BB&T Atlanta Open, and Atlantic Station to get in the game and enjoy themselves with a hitaround.

As for the players who will be testing their own serves and taking to a larger court, Georgia Tech head men’s tennis coach Kenny Thorne was on hand and pleased with the fact that his own singles #1 Christopher Eubanks, a 6-7 Atlanta native who just completed his first year with the Yellow Jackets men’s tennis team, will have the honor of starring in college night on Tuesday evening as he has been selected as one of the main draw wild cards. Eubanks is currently in Halle, Germany working as a hitting partner with Donald Young, and will be training with DY over the summer on the road to Atlanta and the Emirates US Open Series in July.

Along with Eubanks, another young American talent, the celebrated Marylander Frances Tiafoe is the recipient of a main draw wild card, Tiafoe, who recently turned pro this spring as a 17 year old, won the USTA French Open wild card due to his strong play on the pro circuit, and now he is sure to feature on the US Open Series, hoping to score a big upset or two.

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Besides Eubanks and Tiafoe, pretty much the entire American men’s tennis contingent will be taking part in the 2015 Open, including young American Jack Sock, Steve Johnson, Ryan Harrison, Tim Smyczek, the aforementioned Young, two-time and defending champion John Isner, a local favorite, and Mardy Fish, who will once again attempt a comeback, now age 33. The world #1 doubles team the Bryan Brothers will be the top seeds of a very strong doubles field that should also include recent French Open doubles champion Ivan Dodig.

2011 Singles Champion Mardy Fish

2011 Singles Champion Mardy Fish

Fish, like Isner, is a two-time champion in Atlanta, and the other big announcement today was the fact that himself, and his good friend Andy Roddick, another former Atlanta Open champion, and long time American #1 will be taking a one-off wild card to compete in the doubles tournament this year. Roddick will also face Tiafoe in an exhibition of the most notable representative of American tennis recent past, and a player of its promising future. Last year Fish and Roddick had similar plans in the summer, but they were prevented from following through as Roddick hadn’t re-entered the drug testing program after retirement within enough time to be sanctioned to play ATP tennis again. Given the popularity of both Americans they are sure to fill the stands for their doubles match.

Roddick!

Roddick!

The international contingent that has made plans to take part in the Open hails from as close as our neighbors to the north, as Canadian Vasek Pospisil will look to excel in singles, and also in doubles with his aforementioned partner Sock, and as far away as Cyprus and Israel, as ATP veterans Marcos Baghdatis, a former slam finalist, and Dudi Sela, the defending finalist and Israeli #1 are both taking part.

Other veterans besides the ones mentioned above include Gilles Muller, a former finalist in Atlanta, Janko Tipsarevic, a former top 10 player on the comeback trail from injury, serve and volley specialist Radek Stepanek, and Benjamin Becker, a German who played his college tennis at Baylor and has strong American ties.

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Rounding out the field are highlight generating players Adrian Mannarino, and Alex Dolgopolov, who have unique styles of play, and former finalist Kevin Anderson, who might as well be an honorary American given his ties to college tennis and more, though he hails from South Africa by birth. Mannarino is currently having a career year, as he beat French Open champion Stan Wawrinka in Miami this year, while Dolgopolov is looking to recapture the form that saw him become a threat to the game’s elite in years gone by.

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One more main draw wild card is still hanging out there, and other changes could take place in the singles and doubles field of the ATP 250 event, but one thing is for sure, the BB&T Atlanta Open will offer world class tennis, and world class fun July 25-August 2nd at Atlantic Station. The Open is the first stop on the Emirates US Open Series as well and for more information, including how to purchase your tickets please visit http://www.bbtatlantaopen.com

Steen Kirby (Marseille)