Tennis ball girl left in tears over star's classy gesture after hitting her in the face

A ball girl at the Knoxville Challenger was reduced to tears after sharing a special moment with the champion.

Christopher Eubanks accidentally hit her in the face with a serve during the final.

After lifting the trophy, he made sure to apologise properly and showed his class with a heartwarming gesture.

Eubanks was crowned the Knoxville champion for the second time in his career, three years after he first captured the title.

The former world No. 29 needed five match points to get the job done but he beat Learner Tien 7-5 7-6(9) in a close final on Sunday.

There was drama earlier in the match when Eubanks fired down an ace to close out a game but accidentally struck a ball kid at the baseline with his powerful serve.

The umpire rushed over to see if she was okay but she continued her duties, sending balls to the other end of the court and gesturing to show she was fine.

Eubanks didn't forget about the incident. He brought her over after winning the tournament to apologise properly and hugged the ball girl as they spoke.

She was already emotional. And the American led her to his bench, giving her some souvenirs from his tennis bag as the crowd applauded.

"That's the ball girl who got hit in the face and we knew that was going to be a good moment for the two of them and he'll definitely make sure she gets something nice because obviously a very emotional moment for her," commentator Mike Cation said.

"That's the kind of person that he is. He's a good one. Let's see what the prize is that she gets to take home. That's pretty cool, he's going to take something out of the bag.

"Really nice opportunity for her to get up close and personal with one of the best. That's a cool moment."

The ball girl was clearly grateful as she sobbed and covered her face with her hands while walking away. The rest of the ball kid crew waited for her at the side of the court and embraced her.

Eubanks lifted his fourth Challenger title, ending a three-year drought. The American has also won one ATP Tour title at last year's Mallorca Championships.