EVANS PLEA AFTER PAIRE WITHDRAWS
DAN EVANS has urged players to be more responsible after world No.22 Benoit Paire tested positive for coronavirus.
The Frenchman was forced to withdraw and 10 players who came into contact with him were told to quarantine.
Paire is said to have caught the virus in the “bubble” of the players’ hotel, where a group of French competitors had been seen playing cards.
British No.1 Evans said: “It’s your responsibility to do what you need to do. I have not been hanging around in the lobby or playing cards with a load of people.
“It’s obviously bad what’s happened to Benoit but if there’s a lot of people around it can happen. But if you ask him did he do everything possible not to catch the virus, probably playing cards isn’t essential is it? It is for everyone to be responsible.”
No.23 seed Evans today faces world No.77 Corentin Moutet.
Evans said: “Not every player from France has been on these new restrictions and they have all tested negative. I’ve no issues with playing Moutet.
“I’d be devastated if I tested positive and had to stay here for 14 days if I had lost! That would be like hell. But I have no issues.”
And Evans called on players to stop “canning” the tournament.
“There has been a lot of controversy,” said the world No.31. “People saying it’s not a bubble. People saying it is a bubble.
“I don’t think it is great when players are doing interviews, podcasts and stuff when the USTA have helped put this on and players are, so to speak, canning the event. I don’t think that is on.”
Meanwhile, former Wimbledon champions Angelique Kerber and Petra Kvitova kept their hopes on track after gritty second-round wins.
Kerber, the 17th seed, is playing in her 50th Grand Slam at the venue where she made her breakthrough, reaching the semi-final in 2011.
The 2016 winner came through a tight all-German clash against Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-4 7-6(6).
Czech Kvitova, seeded six this year, was slow to get moving but eventually beat Ukrainian Kateryna Kozlova 7-6(3) 6-2.