UNIONDALE, N.Y.—Atlanta's Christopher Eubanks has 6 feet 7 inches of height, a Roger Federer-inspired one-handed backhand and one of the biggest personalities in tennis.

The world hasn't gotten to see too much of the 22-year-old yet—he's still waiting to crack the Top 150—but this week's New York Open has been a roaring success for him so far. And with his 6-4, 7-6 (4) win on Tuesday over Adrian Menendez-Maceiras, he's expected to reach a new career-high ranking next week.

Eubanks' fun in New York started on Sunday, when after winning his first-round qualifying match, he celebrated by eating some of a fan's popcorn.

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He then came back from a set down to defeat Ernesto Escobedo and make the main draw, before closing out a straight-sets opening-round victory to record his first main-draw ATP win of 2019. Last month he qualified for the Australian Open, in his debut.

Because Eubanks hasn't yet proven himself on the tour level, some of his most visible moments have come from practicing with top women's players, including Serena Williams, Sloane Stephens and Naomi Osaka.

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While lots of women prefer to practice with men, Eubanks says he sees value in men's players hitting with women.

"They probably hit way more of a cleaner ball than the guys on tour," he said. "In terms of sheer pace, line drive, right [in the] center of the strings—personally, I think it's the best rhythm you can find."

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Eubanks was a successful college player, playing close to home, at Georgia Tech. In 2018, he won a $100,000 Oracle grant intended to help the best collegiate standouts transition to the pro tour. The year prior, he received the ITA Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award.

In the round of 16 on Long Island, he plays No. 7 seed Jordan Thompson.

As for whether popcorn will make another appearance, Eubanks says it's on the table.

"It worked after that one match, so I might have to do it again—we'll see," he said. "If there was some popcorn lying around, I would for sure dig in."