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Steve Johnson vs Christopher Eubanks: ATP Dallas – First round
Two Americans will face each other in the opening round of ATP Dallas.
Steve Johnson Profile
Steve Johnson is 246th at the moment, and his career high was No. 21. The 34-year-old started the season with the Dallas qualifying round, defeating Timo Stodder and Terence Atmane to make it to the main draw. This is his third appearance in Dallas after losing in the opening rounds in the last two years.
Johnson finished 2023 with a 20-20 record, including 15-11 on hard surfaces. He won two challenges in Lexington and Bloomfield Hills. He has a total of four ATP titles, with the last two coming in 2018 in Newport and Houston.
Christopher Eubanks Profile
Christopher Eubanks is 33rd in the ATP rankings, four spots lower than his career high. The 27-year-old is 2-2 for the season, and this is his third appearance in Dallas with no wins in the main draw.
Eubanks is coming off a 6-3, 6-2 win in the Davis Cup against Viacheslav Bielinskyi. Eubanks lost in the second round of the Australian Open to Andrey Rublev after defeating Taro Daniel in the opener. He started the year with a first-round loss to Botic Van Den Zandschulp in Auckland.
Last year, Eubanks finished with a 39-26 record and 24-16 on hard surfaces. He won his first ATP title in Mallorca on grass.
Head-to-Head – Eubanks leads 2-1
- Johnson vs Eubanks 5-2 ret. (2021 World Team Tennis)
- Eubanks vs Johnson 6-1, 7-6 (2021 Orlando Challenger, first round)
- Eubanks vs Johnson 7-6, 7-6 (2019 Newport, first round)
Prediction and Conclusion
Both players will make their third appearance in the main draw in Dallas, and one of them will get his first win. Eubanks is seven years younger and much better ranked than Johnson, but the veteran still has a chance in this match. Both players are relying on their serve, and it will be hard for any of them to make breaks of serve today. Looking at their previous matches, they played three tie-breaks in four completed sets. Given that and their style of play, we will most likely see at least one tiebreak in this match.
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