Terra Wortman Open
Christopher Eubanks 11/10 | Z.Z. Zhang 69/100
Christopher Eubanks needed this. The 28-year-old has enjoyed an absolutely miserable season that has seen him drift down the world rankings.
But the big-serving American has suddenly come to life in Germany, perhaps drawing on his fantastic 2023 grass-court campaign for inspiration.
Eubanks emerged as one of the breakout stars of 2023, winning a maiden title in Mallorca before a stunning quarter-final run at Wimbledon. He likes to play a brand of incisive first-strike tennis, leaning on a huge serve and forehand to dominate opponents.
He also isn’t afraid to attack the net and that has served him well this week. He eased past Pedro Martinez in his opener before stunning defending champion Alexander Bublik in three sets.
He used that sliced backhand to neutralise Bublik’s huge delivery and create some solid openings on return. A title run here could herald yet another deep run at SW19.
Nominally a hardcourt specialist, Z.Z. Zhang doesn’t really have much grass-court pedigree to speak of (though he did reach the quarter-finals in Eastbourne last year).
But he just picked up arguably the biggest win of his career, surviving a nervy third set tiebreak to end Daniil Medvedev’s title aspirations. This will be his third quarter-final of the season following runs in Marseille and Rome.
Zhang is almost the polar opposite of Eubanks, content to hug the baseline and use a variety of drop-shots to destabilise opponents. Zhang enjoyed some decent success last year, winning the gold medal at the Asian Games and also reaching a maiden ATP semi-final in Hamburg.
He will be delighted with his work this week and will be desperate to reach a first grass-court semi-final.
The Verdict: Eubanks to win in straight sets 26/10
This will also be the first meeting between these two. I just think that this is starting to look a lot like Eubanks’ title-winning run in Mallorca last season.
He came alive during last year’s grass-court campaign and he has just beaten two high-class opponents. Medvedev has always struggled on grass and I wouldn’t put too much stock in that Zhang upset win. Eubanks should have the firepower to ease past the Chinese baseliner.