Harrison Reaches First Challenger SF In Five Years

Five years after reaching his maiden ATP Challenger Tour semi-final, Christian Harrison has accomplished that feat once again at the $75,000 event in Binghamton. The American defeated No. 2 seed and #NextGenATP player Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in a highly competitive three-set match on Friday. 

It’s safe to say plenty has happened since Harrison’s previous Challenger semi-final in Lexington in July 2012. The 23 year old endured a bone infection and seven surgeries that took him out of competition for more than two years. But despite the setbacks, Harrison never considered quitting and has been rewarded for his persistence.

“It’s amazing. My first Challenger semi-final was five years ago, so it’s something I’ve put a lot of thought into as I’ve been working towards my goals,” said Harrison. “The [Emirates ATP Rankings] points help my ranking out a lot now, which means a lot, so I’m really excited about it. 

“The main thing that’s helped this year is just being able to play a full schedule and keeping momentum. You can’t replicate match play in practice, so if you have to keep taking a couple of months off after playing two tournaments, you can’t build that momentum,” he added. “You might have a couple of good tournaments a year, but your ranking doesn’t reflect that.”

The momentum has led to a current career-high Emirates ATP Ranking of No. 276 that will move up even more after his Binghamton run. In order to avoid another lengthy injury setback, Harrison has radically altered the way he trains in a bid to stay healthy.

“One of the main things that’s important now is listening to injuries. If I feel some pains, I may not just try and tough it out like I used to,” said Harrison. “I changed my pre and post-match routines before and after practice by doing a lot more active cool downs instead of sitting or static stretching. I’m doing the right things off the court to stay healthy and keep my body fresh, which gives me a lot of confidence on the court as well.

“And then from a mental side, you can get in your head when you’re feeling hurt and overthink things too much,” he added. “Getting that confidence that your body is going to stay healthy has been really important.”

Harrison will now look to reach his first Challenger final when he plays Cameron Norrie of Great Britain on Saturday. But regardless of what happens in this match, the American said he’ll only have positives to take from Binghamton.

“I’ve really enjoyed this tournament a lot,” said Harrison. “The stands are really nice and the courts are great. It’s really nice to be in a hotel that’s within walking distance of food. We’ve gone to Lost Dog probably every night since being here!”