Chris Eubanks reaches the semifinals of the ATP Hall of Fame Open with a thrilling win over Aleksandar Vukic

Newport: Chris Eubanks won five of the last six points in the third-set tiebreak on Friday to defeat Australian Aleksandar Vukic and reach the semifinals of the ATP Hall of Fame Open.

The 28-year-old American eliminated Vukic at the grass court event in Newport, Rhode Island, after two hours and five minutes with 6:2, 4:6, 7:6 (7/3).

“The match had a lot of ups and downs. In the third set I really found a good rhythm and that gave me energy,” Eubanks said.

“After I got the first hold in the third set, I felt like myself again. I enjoyed it. I was really happy with my game and my performance. I’m looking forward to the next win.”

Eubanks, who won his only ATP final on Mallorca’s grass in June 2023, advanced to the semifinals on Saturday to face second-seeded American Marcos Giron, who defeated Australian qualifier Alex Bolt 6-4, 6-1 to set up an all-American semifinal.

Giron reached his third ATP semifinal of the year, all on home soil. In February he lost the final in Dallas to Tommy Paul and in the semifinal in Delray Beach to Taylor Fritz.

In the other semifinal, wildcard player Reilly Opelka will face 19-year-old Alex Michelsen, who finished runner-up in Newport last year, in his first tournament since 2022 in Washington.

Opelka is ranked 1188th in the world and is the lowest-ranked player in the ATP era to ever reach the semifinals. During his absence, he suffered a fall following hip and wrist surgeries.

Eubanks, ranked 128th, had a record of just 6-15 in ATP matches this year prior to his appearance in Newport.

Vukic, who fell behind 8-2 in the tiebreak of the deciding set this year, double-faulted to give Eubanks a 4-2 lead, after which Eubanks followed with a forehand winner.

They traded errant forehands before the sixth-seeded Australian netted a forehand volley to give fourth-seeded Eubanks the win. Agencies

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