It is rare that a match at the summit of elite sport, a contest that rips the prospect of success from the hands of one competitor and drains the body of both, ends in broad smiles and bonhomie all around. Yet this was the case after Daniil Medvedev played Chris Eubanks.
Medvedev’s cheeriness was easily explained. He had just won his first Wimbledon quarter-final after seven years of trying. Last year he was banned from playing and his jolly demeanour was also part of a charm offensive he has been undertaking in SW19. “I’m feeling great right now,” he said after the match.
Medvedev dug his way out of a tough position against the American, rallying from two-sets-to-one down to advance. After Medvedev and Eubanks traded blows for five thrilling sets, which lasted nearly three hours, the 20-time tour-level titlist stood victorious on No. 1 Court.
No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3 Daniil Medvedev — the second- and third-betting favorites — advanced to a semifinal showdown in vastly different ways.
“There was a moment in the match I started just losing kind of everything, the focus, the momentum of the match, which can happen of course at this level,” Medvedev said in his post-match press conference. “At one moment, really close to [losing]. But happy that I managed to put myself back together.”
Chasing a second major title after triumphing at the US Open last year, Alcaraz will next face Daniil Medvedev. Alcaraz lost against Medvedev at Wimbledon in straight sets in 2021 when he was No. 75 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The Spaniard has since risen to No. 1 and lifted 11 tour-level titles. The 20-year-old, who is into his third major semi-final, is hoping to learn from their previous meeting.
Finally, to the Wimbledon crowd, with whom Eubanks has had an extended fling and who backed him vocally on No 1 Court – “show time baby!” – the American had this to say: “I’ve had some good atmospheres before. But to play on a court like that [and] for the crowd to get behind me was really, really cool and something a lot of tennis players may not get to experience.” Till next time, then.
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