Wimbledon 2023: Eubanks upsets Norrie for 'biggest win of career'

Christopher Eubanks extended his dream Wimbledon debut on Friday with a stirring upset of British No. 1 Cameron Norrie at the All England Club. The American scored a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(3) victory against the 12th seed and returning semifinalist to advance to the third round at a major for the first time.

Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys were also winners Friday on the London lawns, with the fourth-seeded Pegula through to the fourth round and the 25th-seeded Keys into Round 3.

Eubanks ran his winning streak to seven matches on the heels of lifting his first ATP Tour title last week on the grass courts of Mallorca. The 27-year-old broke into the ATP's Top 50 for the first time behind that trophy run, and is now projected to rise into the Top 40 after knocking off Norrie.

"Biggest win of my career, no question, by far," the Atlanta native said in his post-match press conference. "Considering the moment, considering the stage, who I was playing, where I played him. By far the biggest win of my career."

The charismatic Eubanks even enjoyed his fair share of crowd support, despite facing a home favorite.

"Obviously I think the vast majority of the crowd out there today was supporting Cam, rightfully so," he said.

"But if I was able to attract a few more fans, a few more Brits to want to back me the rest of this Wimbledon and on after that, I'd really, really appreciate it, man. This has been extremely special. That was an extremely special match for me."

Next up for the American and his new fans is a Saturday matchup against unseeded Australian Christopher O'Connell. Beyond that, fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas looms as a potential fourth-round opponent.

Eubanks joins 10th seed Tiafoe and 16th seed Tommy Paul, who both won on Thursday, to make it three Americans in the Wimbledon third round—all in the top half of the draw. All three are scheduled to take the court on Saturday, with Tiafoe facing 21st seed Grigor Dimitrov and Paul meeting Jiri Lehecka.

In women's singles, Keys also progressed to the third round with a 7-5, 6-3 win against Viktorija Golubic on Friday. It was the 350th WTA-level win for the American.

Like Eubanks, Keys also won a grass title last weekend, in Eastbourne, and is now on a seven-match winning streak. She has not lost a set in any of those seven victories.

"Really happy with how things went today," said Keys, who improved to 2-3 in her head-to-head against the Swiss. "I haven't had the best results against her, so it was obviously a tough match. Very happy to be in the third round."