ATLANTA — Atlanta native Christopher Eubanks is taking Wimbledon by storm. He upset the number five player in the world to advance to the quarterfinals.
This has been a dream run for the former Yellow Jacket who had a previous majors record of 2-8 before Wimbledon.
As he makes history, his friends and former Westlake High School classmates, Brandon Wilson and Auston Kennedy, are cheering him on.
"You like to think that some of the people you went to high school with are going to make it, but to actually see him out there holding the community on their back and showing our community that Black people can do great things in tennis. Chris Eubanks is now in that conversation with his play at Wimbledon," Wilson said.
Just last week, Wilson and Kennedy got to see Eubanks in person at Wimbledon.
On Monday, they celebrated the big win that now sends him to the quarterfinals.
"It's been really exciting to see your friend on a stage like this," Kennedy added. "But what's been even more satisfying, at least for me, is seeing how much support there has been from the community."
Eubanks played at Westlake High School and Georgia Tech. This was his first top 10 win of his entire career.
"If you watch golf, this is like the tour championships. Winning Wimbledon will be like getting the green jacket. It's a really big deal for anyone who enjoys tennis," Wilson said."
Wilson played tennis with Eubanks at Westlake High School.
"He was one of the better players. I was just an average player. So when he took a year off to go train, I was like he's real serious about this. When he came back, his game was just taking it to another level. I had imagined that he was going to make the tour at some point," Wilson said.
Kennedy went on to attend Georgia Tech with him. He added that Eubanks is someone he always shared a laugh with.
"That's something that Chris and I have always enjoyed: cracking jokes together, even when we ran into him at Wilmington. It's been incredible to see him reach this kind of stage," Kennedy said.
They believe Monday's milestone puts Atlanta in the spotlight.
"He is carrying us on his back," Wilson said. "I think it's just really amazing to see someone who you knew when he was just a tennis player out there, someone who's a professional, who's a top 50 player now and going to go shooting up in the rankings with this performance at Wimbledon."
His friends hope for a win on Wednesday and said Eubanks has a bright future ahead. They believe he could make it to the Olympics next year and eventually pursue a career in broadcasting.
"He's done it. He's good at it," Kennedy said. "He knows that he could kind of step into that world and be comfortable. He enjoys it. So alongside continuing to grow on the court, I really hope that more broadcasting opportunities come his way."