ATP Halle 2024: Christopher Eubanks vs Zhang Zhizhen; Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction

It’s time for the clash of two ‘Giant-Killers‘ in Halle, Germany! America’s Christopher Eubanks takes on China’s Zhang Zhizhen in the QF of the 2024 Terra Wortmann Open. Eubanks is entering this match after his emphatic victory over the defending champion, Alexander Bulbik in the R16 clash. On the other hand, his opponent in the next match, Zhang Zhizhen defeated the world number 5, Daniil Medvedev in his previous match. Both the players are looking in great touch in this tournament, but who’s going to have the last laugh in this interesting faceoff?

Christopher Eubanks’ best record in his previous tournaments has been reaching the R16. He has showcased some incredible results on this surface in the past, but he started his grass court season this year with a first-round exit in Stuttgart. However, in Halle, he has looked quite impressive in the previous two matches. Zhang Zhizhen on the other hand, has reached two QFs in his previous tournaments this year. It’ll be interesting to see if the Chinese star can take a step forward at the 2024 Halle Open.

Christopher Eubanks vs Zhang Zhizhen: Preview

Christopher Eubanks defeated Alexander Bublik by 7-6(5),4-6,6-3 in his previous match. In that match, he hit ten aces and committed just four double faults. His first serve win percentage was 68% but it dropped to 63% on the second serve. However, he successfully converted two out of his four breakpoints in that match against Bublik. 

The 28-year-old American will be keen to get back his winning touch on what supposedly seems to be his favorite surface before the mega event in London. If we look at his numbers from this season, Eubanks has hit 126 aces and committed 40 double faults. He has won 85% of his service games and just 7% of his return games this year.

Zhang Zhizhen on the other hand, surprised the tennis world with his incredible performance against Daniil Medvedev in the R16. The 27-year-old Chinese tennis star defeated Medvedev by 6-3,2-6,7-6(5). In that match, he hit twelve aces and committed four double faults. His first-serve win percentage was 72% and his second-serve win percentage was 55%. Zhizhen converted two out of his five breakpoints against the Russian tennis star.

He has so far hit 179 aces this season and has committed just around 57 double faults. Zhang Zhizhen has won 81% of his service games and 18% of his return games. Have these two tennis players faced each other earlier on the Tour?

Eubanks vs Zhizhen: Head-to-Head

No, this will be their first meeting on the Tour. However, we can take a look at their record on the grass surfaces before jumping into the predictions. Christopher Eubanks has won his only ATP title on the grass courts and his best record at the major events came at the 2023 Wimbledon where he reached the QF. However, Zhang Zhizhen is yet to go past the first round in Wimbledon. This gives a hint about who is the real favorite in this epic clash at the 2024 Halle Open.

Prediction: Eubanks to win in two sets

Although Christopher Eubanks (44) is ranked two places below Zhang Zhizhen (42), his record on the grass court will always give him an edge over the Chinese. Eubanks currently has a win-loss record of 6-13 this year and Zhizhen has recorded 16-17 so far this season. Their form hasn’t been at its peak this season but they surely have the potential to make the fans witness a heavy-voltage clash!

The 6ft 7 inches Eubanks is known for his big serves. He is an aggressive player who loves going to the nets whenever he can to steal points. In his previous match, he returned the balls very well and used his one-handed backhand shot to full effect. Will he take a similar approach against someone like Zhang Zhizhen who loves to rely on his mental tenacity to seal the deal in long rallies? The Chinese tennis star used the baseline very well against Medvedev and hit quite a few drop shots to topple his opponent. However, can Zhang Zhizhen ‘ZZZ‘ Christopher Eubanks? Well, it looks quite unlikely on the grass court!