Christopher Eubanks looks quite impressive at the moment. He has already won two matches at the Winston-Salem Open and now he’s looking to grab his third. Eubanks will face Russia’s Roman Safiullin in the R16 of this tournament. Safiullin recently won a title at the Challenger Cary, US event, and guess what? He had to overcome this 6ft 7 inches American hurdle in the QF over there. Can he come up with yet another astonishing result on the American soil which will lead to the US Open?
Christopher Eubanks vs Roman Safiullin: Preview
Despite struggling a bit this season, Eubanks, has made three deep runs this year. His best record was at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, where Eubanks played till the semis. He has also reached the quarterfinals of the Halle Open and Challenger event in Cary. In his previous match, the 28-year-old American tennis star defeated the Frenchman, Hugo Gaston by 6-1, 6-4.
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Excellence from Eubanks 🤩
Chris Eubanks powers through with an impressive 6-1, 6-4 win over Gaston!
🎥 @atptour x @tennistv pic.twitter.com/AB42ydMVUZ
— Winston-Salem Open (@WSOpen) August 20, 2024
On the other hand, Safiullin is entering this match after a 6-1, 7-5 triumph over Corentin Moutet (FRA) in the R32. The Russian tennis star started the season quite impressively. He reached the SF of the Brisbane International and then, before winning the title in Cary, Saifullin made yet another SF run in another Challengers event. Has Safiullin met Eubanks before in his career, though?
Eubanks vs Safiullin: Head-to-Head
Yes, both of these tennis stars have played against each other twice in their careers so far. So, far Safiullin has a clear-cut edge of 2-0 over Christopher Eubanks.
- 2022 Australian Open Qualifiers: Safiullin 6-4,1-6.6-1.
- 2024 Challenger Cary, US Quarterfinals: Safiullin 6-4,6-4.
Prediction: Eubanks to win in three sets
Although the Russian sealed the victory against Christopher Eubanks just a few days ago, the American tennis star has played some outstanding tennis in this tournament. Safiullin is currently ranked 59th in the world but Eubanks is placed at the 120th spot in the men’s singles ranking. So, even in the ranking the Russian player seems to be quite ahead! Then why is Eubanks the favorite in this epic clash?
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Sweet relief 😅
On his EIGHTH championship point, Roman Safiullin finally seals the deal to win the @CaryTennClassic title#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/HiDIiryaE2
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) August 18, 2024
Well, the first thing will be the venue. Eubanks will have the support of the home crowd and it’ll be interesting to see how well Safiullin handles this pressure. The win-loss record, although neither of them has impressive numbers this season, Eubanks has a slight edge here. He has recorded a win-loss record of 10-17 in this season compared to 9-18 of Safiullin.
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Eubanks has an aggressive baseline game along with venomous serves. His incredible serving abilities may come in handy in this match. In his previous two matches, he has already hammered 20 aces. So, we’re expecting him to win the race by hitting the ace even in this match! Apart from acing the aces, he has a strong forehand and Eubanks loves coming to the net to finish off points.
Safiullin also has an aggressive style of play with a mix of powerful serves and strong forehands. His dynamic playing style often keeps his opponents on their toes during the matches. He’s a tough competitor, so we can expect some fight in this match. However, considering all the factors, Eubanks seems most likely to win this battle!
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