Jan Choinski reversed the rhythm after losing the tie-break and reached the Eastbourne quarter-finals
Jan Choinski continued the best week of his ATP career in Eastbourne, where in the round of 16 of the Lexus Eastbourne Open he defeated Felix Gill 6:4, 6:7(4), 6:2. The British qualifier lost the second set in a tie-break, but in the deciding section he once again imposed a more aggressive rhythm, broke his opponent's serve early and then calmly brought the match to an end. The encounter was played on the grass of the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, as part of the ATP 250 tournament that traditionally serves as one of the last competitive tests before Wimbledon. According to the official ATP Tour report, Choinski sealed the victory after three sets, while the LTA states that this brought him his first ATP Tour quarter-final. Gill, who entered the main draw as a lucky loser after Taylor Fritz withdrew, won the second set after saving a match point, but failed to keep the momentum in the third set.
The key difference came in the third set
The first set was tight and for a long time without major fluctuations, but Choinski found room precisely in the closing stage. According to the LTA report, Gill was serving at 4:5 when Choinski opened the game with two passing shots and then took advantage of his opponent's forehand errors to win the set. Such an outcome gave the qualifier the advantage in a match that, despite the grass surface, had many long rallies and tactical outsmarting from the baseline. Gill remained calm enough in the second set to withstand the pressure in the key moments. The LTA states that the 24-year-old lucky loser saved a match point with an ace, then played a more assured tie-break and won it 7:4.
After that, Choinski had to re-establish the control he had in the closing stage of the first set. In the third set, according to the LTA, he took the ball early much more often, took the initiative in the first shots after serve and forced Gill into defensive reactions. An early break immediately changed the structure of the deciding section, while a second service break removed most of the scoreboard uncertainty. The LTA points out that Choinski hit 13 winners in the third set, broke serve twice and lost only five points on his own serve. In doing so, he avoided the danger that the lost tie-break would become the psychological turning point of the match.
Gill seized his chance after the top seed withdrew
Felix Gill did not enter this duel as a direct participant in the main draw. The LTA states that he entered the tournament as a lucky loser after the top seed and four-time Eastbourne champion Taylor Fritz withdrew from the competition because of injury. Such a development opened the way for an unplanned all-British clash in the round of 16, but also changed the expected schedule in the part of the draw where Fritz had been the favourite. Gill took the opportunity to play a competitive match against a player who already had three wins in the week, including two in qualifying and one in the first round of the main tournament. Still, after coming back in the second set, he was unable to maintain his aggression long enough or put pressure on Choinski's serve in the decisive phase.
For Gill, the defeat meant a missed opportunity for a first win in an ATP main draw, as the LTA states. His best part of the match was the end of the second set, when with his serve and disciplined play in the tie-break he prolonged the encounter. But the third set showed the difference between a player who had already built a competitive rhythm on grass during the week and an opponent who entered the draw later. Choinski had a clearer plan after the lost set: reduce passivity, shorten Gill's time to hit and attack more often before the points turned into long rallies. He succeeded in that convincingly enough for the final 6:2 in the third set to faithfully reflect his dominance in the closing stage.
Choinski among the last eight on the ATP Tour for the first time
This victory has significantly broader meaning than just reaching the next round. The LTA states that Choinski became the first British qualifier to reach the men's quarter-finals in Eastbourne, while at the same time achieving his first place among the last eight on the ATP Tour. He entered the tournament through qualifying, where according to the ATP's official results overview he defeated Yibing Wu 7:6(5), 6:4, and then Marcos Giron 7:5, 6:7(2), 7:6(5). In the first round of the main tournament he beat Alexei Popyrin 1:6, 6:2, 6:2, further confirming that he had managed to adapt to faster conditions after a slower start. The victory over Gill was his fourth at the tournament in a few days and the continuation of a run in which he had reacted several times after scoreboard setbacks.
According to ATP media notes published ahead of the main tournament, Choinski arrived in Eastbourne as a 30-year-old ranked 106th in the singles rankings, with a career-high ranking of 101st. The same source states that after September 2022 he was outside the top 500 and then gradually returned through Challenger tournaments, winning the title in Zagreb in 2026. His path through Eastbourne therefore fits into a broader story of a later breakthrough by a player who built most of his professional journey away from the biggest stages. The LTA estimates that the win over Gill should also bring his first entry among the world's top 100 tennis players, although the official ranking will only be confirmed with the new ATP list. Choinski told the LTA after the victory that this step forward had special meaning for him because he had worked for it throughout his career.
The Eastbourne tournament as the last test before Wimbledon
The Lexus Eastbourne Open is played on grass in Eastbourne, a town on the south coast of England, and is part of the final week of preparations for Wimbledon. The ATP Tour states that the men's tournament in 2026 is being held from 22 to 27 June at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, with qualifying preceding the main draw. It is an ATP 250 category tournament, with a total prize fund of 773,465 euros in the men's competition. According to the ATP, the singles tournament winner receives 250 points and 117,685 euros, the finalist 165 points, and the quarter-finalists 50 points. For a player trying to break into the Top 100, such a points haul can have a direct impact on entries into future tournaments, qualifying status and planning the rest of the season.
Eastbourne has long held a position in the grass-court season calendar, and the ATP tournament overview states that elite tennis returned to Devonshire Park in 2017 in a combined ATP and WTA format. The tournament previously went through periods in Nottingham and Eastbourne, and ahead of the 2026 edition the ATP highlighted that Taylor Fritz won a record fourth Eastbourne title in 2025. It was precisely Fritz's withdrawal this year that changed the picture in the upper part of the draw and created additional opportunities for players who entered the tournament from qualifying or as lucky losers. In that context, Choinski's progress carries even greater weight because it is not only one upset, but a series of wins in a week in which the draw opened quickly. Eastbourne thus remains a tournament where form over several days can substantially change a player's season.
The draw has opened up, but the next challenge remains demanding
Choinski will play in the quarter-finals against Zizou Bergs, the Belgian tennis player who advanced in the round of 16 after Daniel Altmaier retired at 6:3, 3:2. The LTA states that their quarter-final match is scheduled for 25 June as the second match of the day on Court 1. Bergs defeated seventh seed Jaume Munar 6:2, 6:4 in the first round, according to the official ATP Tour results, which shows that he too quickly found his grass-court rhythm in Eastbourne. ATP notes ahead of the tournament stated that Bergs was then the world No. 48 and that in May 2026 he reached his career-high ranking, 38th place. For Choinski, this will be a new opportunity to confirm a week that has already brought the biggest result of his ATP career so far.
In the same part of the programme, the LTA reported that Jack Draper and Toby Samuel also reached the quarter-finals, giving Eastbourne several notable performances by British players in the men's competition. Draper defeated Jack Pinnington Jones 7:5, 6:4 in the round of 16, while Samuel recorded his first win in an ATP main draw against Thiago Agustin Tirante and earned a meeting with Juan Manuel Cerundolo. Those results further highlighted the unusual course of the tournament, in which qualifiers and lucky losers received an unusually large amount of space in the closing stages. But for Choinski, who has already survived qualifying pressure, a comeback against Popyrin and an awkward moment after losing the tie-break against Gill, the most important thing is that his game in Eastbourne has grown from match to match. The quarter-final against Bergs will show whether that surge can turn into an even bigger step forward before the grass season heads towards Wimbledon.
Sources:
- LTA – report on Jan Choinski's victory over Felix Gill and his place in the Eastbourne quarter-finals (link)
- LTA – results and daily updates from the 2026 Lexus Eastbourne Open (link)
- ATP Tour – official results of the 2026 Eastbourne tournament (link)
- ATP Tour – tournament overview, dates, schedule, points and prize money of the 2026 Lexus Eastbourne Open (link)
- ATP Tour – official media notes for the 2026 Lexus Eastbourne Open (link)
Note: This content was prepared with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools. The content was editorially reviewed before publication.