Evans into top 100 after tough US trip
LESS than a year into his comeback from a drugs ban, Dan Evans will find himself inside the world’s top 100 after his arduous trip around the United States.
Now sitting at No97, Evans has hit the initial target he set himself last April, though yesterday he missed a chance to surpass it further when he was edged out of the Miami Open second round 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 by Denis Shapovalov, the world No 23.
The 28-year-old Midlander had two break-back points at 2-3 in the deciding set and Shapovalov was lucky with a framed volley on one of them.
For the British No3, it was the 33rd match of the year and he admitted that he needed a breather. ‘It’s been a good trip, probably a bit too long, maybe I wouldn’t have played Phoenix last week in hindsight but a good few weeks,’ said Evans, who will be ranked around 90th next week but is in the top 40 for 2019 based purely on this season’s results.
‘It will be good to get back and sleep in my own bed. Denis was too good for me in the end, he hits a big ball and is a lefty, which makes him difficult to read.’
Evans will now head to Europe’s clay courts, his weakest suit, to play five tournaments including the French Open. He has already done enough to enter straight into the main draw in Paris. ‘I’ll play the clay, see what I can do and put my full effort in, but then it’s grass and my best surface, which I am looking forward to.
‘I’ve made my goal but if you look at matches like today and the Delray final, you can tell there’s still work to do.’
British No1 Kyle Edmund plays in today’s third round in Miami, taking on 12th seed Milos Raonic.
Jo Konta, Britain’s women’s No 1, admitted she was left feeling ‘down’ after dropping the last 10 games to lose 6-4, 6-0 in Friday night’s second round match against Qiang Wang.
Konta unravelled after being disturbed by some poor linecalling. ‘It didn’t go my way and I let that affect me a little too much,’ said Konta.
‘I knew if I didn’t keep up a certain level then it could run away easily. I’ve come off the court feeling quite down about it, but I’ve got to keep going.’
Konta must now decide whether to play an extra tournament prior to Britain’s Fed Cup match against Kazakhstan in London over Easter. ‘The overriding feeling of the Fed Cup in February was one of immense pride and a massive achievement for the whole team. I’m looking forward to being together with the girls again.’