Cleaning boats, delivering junk mail and working in a clothes shop – were jobs before Wimbledon win

It’s not quite Rocky vs Apollo Creed but to those watching Wimbledon this year and seeing the name Chris O’Connell among the winners, it does have a certain similar resonance.

O’Connell steamed past Czech tennis star Jiří Veselý 6-3 7-5 6-4 overnight to become that the last Aussie left standing at SW19. 

The round two win by the Aussie underdog happened the same day as top Australian player Alex De Minaur was over-powered by Italian star Mario Berrettini in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Nick Kyrgios didn’t even reach it to the main draw, cut down by a wrist injury on the eve of The Championships. 

Which now means that unheralded O’Connell from Sydney is the last of the Aussies left at Wimbledon – and he did it the unprecedented way of playing four days on the hallowed grass in a row.

This was because of rain delays in his opening win, but his second round victory over Veselý was far more pronounced.

He banged out the best tennis of his late-blooming career to land the cash over Veselý, propelling him into his first Grand Slam third round appearance outside of Australia, as well as his biggest payday ever.

Christopher O’Connell from Sydney just played lights out to defeat Czech star Jiri Vesely in straight sets advancing him for the first time to a Wimbledon third round match

O’Connell was a study in concentration and is now the only Aussie left at Wimbledon in the either the men’s or women’s singles draw

The win earned him $163,000 – more than enough to keep him going in the sport as he chases a childhood dream of reaching the world top 50.

If he knocks over vastly improved American Chris Eubanks in round three, then he will sit right on the cusp. At this very moment he is ranked 73 in the world.

Eubank’s meteoric rise up the tennis charts included the prized scalp of British hope Cam Norrie, overpowering him 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (3) to set up the meeting against the Australian.

At his post-match press conference, he was beaming.

‘Biggest win of my career, no question, by far,’ Eubanks said. 

‘Considering the moment, considering the stage, who I was playing, where I played him. By far the biggest win of my career.’

A disappointed Veselý congratulates a jubilant O’Connell after the shock win by the Aussie 6-3 7-5 6-4

America’s rising star Chris Eubanks (pictured) will be the man facing O’Connell in the third round after he beat Brit Cam Norrie 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (3

It was likewise for O’Connell, who is in uncharted waters this deep in a foreign Slam.

‘This time last year, getting to the Top-100 was a huge goal of mine,’ O’Connell, who at 29 is in career-best form, said.

‘So to be sitting here a year later, looking at Top 50, that’s awesome.

O’Connell, who celebrates his equal-best result at a Grand Slam, having also reached the Australian Open third round last year, was misty as he remembered the varied and winding path that has him in the final 32 at Wimbledon this year.

‘All the odd jobs I’ve worked at,’ he said.

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‘Boat cleaning, working in clothes shop, tennis coaching, delivering flyers … I think back on those, and I’m like, ‘Wow, now I’m here.”

The self-confessed ‘late developer’ has enjoyed a big year having even tasted some success on clay, reaching the semi-finals at a tournament in Munich earlier this year also against the odds which included a victory over Top-5 ranked Alexander Zverev. 

And, now he has a major breakthrough on the grass too.

His ground strokes were stunning against Vesely, channeling American champion Andre Agassi by chasing down every shot and returning them with venom.

A young Lionel Messi fan at Wimbledon gets the name of Christopher Eubanks autographed onto his tee-shirt – which probably meant more to the tennis star than the boy fan

He gave notice that he belongs in this tournament and that Eubanks, on a sky rocket himself up the rankings, had better be on his game when they meet.

Just last week, on grass in Mallorca, Eubanks earned his first ATP Tour singles title. 

It was an impressive performance and he built on it for this Wimbledon victory over a man who made the semis here last year!

Ranked outside the Top-100 up until this April, and 77th prior to Mallorca, Eubanks is now a career-high No. 43 and climbing.

That will halt should the Sydneysider produce the same ground play he did against Vesely.

Meanwhile, the top seed Novak Djokovic remains alive in the tournament after knocking over ageing swiss star Stan Wawrinka in straight sets to comfortably earn a spot in the fourth round.

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