Daniil Medvedev curtailed American Christopher Eubanks‘ extraordinary Wimbledon adventure as he weathered a storm to win their quarterfinal 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1 on Wednesday.
Medvedev will next face No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who eliminated Holger Rune 7-6 (3), 6-4, 6-4, for a spot in the final. Alcaraz, 20, became the youngest Wimbledon semifinalist since 2007 with Wednesday’s win.
The third-seeded Medvedev took the opening set but lost the next two as the unseeded Eubanks unleashed a barrage of first-strike tennis that stunned the Russian player and had the Court 1 crowd roaring its approval.
Medvedev looked bewildered and out of ideas at one point as Eubanks kept landing blow after blow.
But the 2021 US Open champion began to regroup in a tight fourth set, and his experience held sway in the tiebreak as he leveled the match. Medvedev then improved to 2-4 in five-set matches at Wimbledon with a strong closing effort.
Eubanks, 27, bidding to emulate American great John McEnroe by reaching the semifinals in his first Wimbledon appearance, appeared dejected in the deciding set as his dream faded away.
Despite the end of his incredible run, Eubanks left the court to a huge ovation, making a heart gesture to the stands as he exited.
Reuters contributed to this report.