Christopher Eubanks’ miracle run came to a screeching halt.
The 27-year-old American lost in a devastating five-set thriller against world No. 3 Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 1-6 on Wednesday, surrendering a chance to advance to his first career Grand Slam semifinal at Wimbledon.
Eubanks wilted in the fifth set after earning a chance to finish the match in a fourth set tiebreaker.
The 6-foot-7 Atlanta native is making just his ninth major appearance and has won only one title on the ATP Tour.
Previously, his best performance at a Slam was the second round, which came at last year’s U.S. Open and the Australian Open this year.
Eubanks, whose powerful serve is rated as one of the best on tour, dispatched Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday in a five-set thriller, in a match that launched his unlikely Wimbledon run into the mainstream.
“I feel like I’m living a dream right now,” Eubanks said in his post-match, on-court interview after the victory over Tsitsipas. “This is absolutely insane.”
The American rose to a career-high No. 43 rank following his first ATP title at a grass-court tournament in Mallorca, Spain heading into Wimbledon.
Despite Eubanks’ untimely defeat, it appears the United States could have another promising contender on tour, following losses by higher-ranked countrymen Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and Sebastian Korda at Wimbledon.
The last time an American competed in the Wimbledon finals was 2009, when Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer.
The last time an American won Wimbledon was Pete Sampras in 2000.
With his quarterfinal berth, Eubanks was guaranteed at least $430,000 in prize money.
He had previously made $1.8 million in singles and doubles combined throughout his entire career.
Eubanks’ signature serve and impressive net game floundered in the fifth set after he had previously hit a barrage of volleys to surprise Medvedev.
Medvedev dominated on his serve in the final set, using a crucial break of Eubanks’ serve in the first game to take control of the match.
The Russian will advance to play Carlos Alcaraz or Holger Rune in the semifinal.