Black History Month: Chris Eubanks

In celebration of Black History Month, USTA.com is taking a look at several talented, young African-American players who are following in the footsteps of pioneering players like Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe and the Williams sisters and seem ready to make their own mark in tennis. Next up is former American collegiate standout-turned-pro Chris Eubanks.
 

An integral part of Georgia Tech's tennis program for three years, Chris Eubanks grew into his own during two dominant seasons his sophomore and junior years, when he didn't lose a match at home.

Eubanks was invited to be a part of the U.S. National Collegiate Team in 2016, and he later skipped his senior year with the Yellow Jackets in order to start his professional career.

While still in college, Eubanks played the BB&T Atlanta Open, a US Open Series event and a tune-up for the US Open, from 2015-17. In 2017, Eubanks had a breakthrough at Atlantic Station, reaching the quarterfinals.
 

Today, the right-hander is on the cusp of breaking into the Top 150 of the ATP Tour.

Age: 22

Height: 6-foot-7

Residence: Atlanta, Ga.

Current Rank: 166

• Playing primarily on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2018, Eubanks won the hard-court event in Leon, Mexico, and reached the final of another hard-court event in Guadalajara, Mexico. In addition, he contested the final of a Futures-level tournament in Los Angeles and reached the semifinals of Challenger-level events in Knoxville, Tenn., and Aptos, Calif.

• The right-hander made his Grand Slam main-draw debut at the 2017 US Open as a wild card, falling to Dudi Sela in the first round. He also played in the qualifying tournaments at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2018, and he came through qualies to make the main draw at the Australian Open last month.

• Eubanks played three years of collegiate tennis at Georgia Tech University, winning the ACC Player of the Year award in consecutive seasons in 2016 and 2017. He announced in October 2017 that he would forego his senior year of eligibility with the Yellow Jackets to turn pro immediately. Eubanks finished his college career with a 90-33 singles mark and a 53-42 doubles record. 

• In addition to being the first Georgia Tech player in conference history to win the Player of the Year award twice, Eubanks was also a two-time All-American selection, a three-time all-ACC honoree, the recipient of the 2016 USTA/ITA Sportsmanship Award and the recipient of the 2017 Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award.

• Eubanks reached a career-high ranking of No. 157 in the world on Jan. 28, 2019. He started 2018 at No. 347 in the world after jumping from No. 652 to begin 2017.