Star Metro - Eubanks in Wimbledon breakthrough with help from Clijsters

Before arriving at the All England Club, the 27-year-old American's record at the Slams had been modest.

Of his eight main draw appearances he had lost in the first round six times. He had tried and failed four times to qualify for Wimbledon.

Last month, he lost first round in Stuttgart and Halle before capturing a first career title on grass in Mallorca, aided by a social media exchange with Clijsters.

The Belgian advised him to "do some little footwork drills every day", "play mini-tennis", "only use an open racquet and play in two service boxes" and "stay low".

After describing grass as the "stupidest surface", Eubanks thanked Clijsters for keeping "my spirits up".

The expert tips have worked.

The world number 43 saw off Thiago Monteiro from a set down in the first round, put out 2022 semi-finalist Cameron Norrie in the second round and beat Chris O'Connell of Australia in straight sets on Saturday.

Eubanks joked that Clijsters may fairly be entitled to a cut of his Wimbledon prize money, which stands at the moment at just over $265,000.

"If she asks, she's gonna get it. She's a big, big contributing factor," he said.

Eubanks stands at 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 metres) and leads the tournament with 72 aces over four rounds. In total, he has fired 194 winners past his three opponents.

He admits that playing on the big stages still takes some getting used to after years spent struggling from one second-tier event to another.

- 'Hot moment' -

He faced O'Connell on Court 18 at the All England Club.

"I think a hot moment kind of came in the warm-up when I looked up at the stands of Court 18 and realised, I'm like, 'Oh, this is the Isner-Mahut court'," he said in reference to the arena that staged tennis's longest-ever match back in 2010.

"I watched tennis on this court for three days one time a few years ago. That was kind of cool. And to see the stands pretty packed."

Next up for Eubanks is a fourth-round clash with world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday.

The match will be a modern rarity as it features a clash of one-handed backhands.

"I think from a fan standpoint, they love the aesthetic of the one-handed," he said.

"When I look at Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, or Richard Gasquet, there is a certain elegance and a flair to it when you come up with a good winner off a one-handed backhand side that you may not get really off the two-hand."

However, he admits such a skill was often a drawback growing up.

"Personally, if I could do it all over again, I might go with a two-hander, just because I spent so many years fighting off balls above my shoulder."

Eubanks already has a fan in the top 10 in the shape of former US Open champion and third-ranked Daniil Medvedev.

He defeated the American in the quarter-finals of the Miami Masters this year but he liked what he saw in the beanpole Eubanks.

"He is not scared of anything. He just goes for it," said the Russian.

P.M.Martin--SMC