As Chris Eubanks extends Wimbledon debut into Week 2, Tommy Paul falls to Jiri Lehecka

Who will be the last American man standing at Wimbledon?

It could very well be Christopher Eubanks, who asserted himself as a bona fide candidate by extending his breakout debut to the round of 16 Saturday.

The 27-year-old used every ounce of his serve to find the slimmest of advantages in edging Christopher O’Connell, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2). Both players conceded just a single break in the contest, but 23 aces from Eubanks and higher success rates on both his first and second serves proved the difference in wrapping up the victory after two hours and 52 minutes.

"I'm very, very pleased with how I played. It's always tough kind of having the start and stop of a rain delay," Eubanks said in his press conference. "I thought I was able to kind of stay mentally there. Got off to a good start. I think I had an early break in the first, wasn't able to consolidate, got broken back. But from that point on I thought I served exceptionally well, played the big points well, I returned well late in the third."

Eubanks has now won eight consecutive matches on grass. The former Georgia Tech standout captured his first ATP trophy in Mallorca, having erased three match points in a semifinal win over Lloyd Harris. On Friday, Eubanks secured what he characterized as “the biggest win of my career” when he took down British No. 1 Cameron Norrie over four sets on No.1 Court.

Projected to crack the Top 40 as a result of reaching the second week, Eubanks next gets a crack at No. 5 seed Stefanos Tstisipas. The two-time Grand Slam finalist defeated Serbia’s Laslo Djere, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-4.

"Trying to get to that 110 to Top 100, I was checking the rankings like crazy. Now I'm just kind of enjoying it and having fun," reflected Eubanks. "Where the ranking is it is. I'm not too concerned about it at this point."

The only other U.S. man left in the field besides Eubanks is No. 10 seed Frances Tiafoe, who was down two sets to 21st-seeded Grigor Dimitrov and on serve in the third when play was cancelled on the outer courts for the day due to rain.

Despite receiving an unexpected lifeline in his third-round clash, 12th seed Tommy Paul was unable to use it in a deciding fifth set.

Jiri Lehecka avoided a heartbreaking collapse, surviving, 6-2, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (5), 6-7 (9), 6-2, after four hours and four minutes. While the Czech let 4-1 and 5-3 leads slip in the third-set tiebreaker, it was what happened toward the end of the fourh set that tested his mental resolve.

Having wiped away a 2-6 deficit in that breaker, Lehecka eventually reached match point for the first time at 8-7. But a decision to stop a point and challenge that Paul’s shot was out proved costly. The 21-year-old had successfully blocked it and Paul's reply caught the net, yet asking for a review and being incorrect meant the scoreboard was now level again.

Paul would soon eke out the set to force a decider, before Lehecka regrouped by claiming the final four games of the contest. Third seed Daniil Medvedev stands between him and a second major quarterfinal appearance this year following his breakout run at the Australian Open.

Medvedev overcame Marton Fucsovics, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, to match his best previous result at the All England Club.