Evans has stomach for the fight after coming from two sets down in Aussie opener
DAN EVANS has been one of the most in-form players of 2020, but his Australian Open ambitions were nearly ended in the opening round against Mackenzie McDonald in Melbourne today.
Having beaten top-20 players David Goffin and Alex de Minaur already Down Under in the ATP Cup, Evans was expected to come through against his American opponent relatively unscathed.
But the British No1 dropped the opening two sets and needed nearly threeand-a-half hours before winning 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-3, the first time in his career he has won a five-set match after losing the opening two sets.
The only real blip to his start to 2020 had been the suggestion from his ATP Cup captain Tim Henman that he could do with missing a few meals and, aptly, Evans marked the winning point with a simple tap of his stomach.
Evans, 29, said: “It was just a bit of a joke, there was nothing in it.”
The result set up a second-round encounter against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka and edged him closer to a third-round clash against defending champion Novak Djokovic.
Early in today’s match, Evans’s confidence and timing appeared way off and the Briton was riled by spectators failing to take their seats quickly enough. But he eventually found his rhythm in the third set, allowing world No129 McDonald to only win six of the next 24 games.
“I just hung in,” said Evans. “I thought my level was there somewhere. I changed my game a little bit, started making a few more balls and, in the end, I was pretty strong.”
Despite his surge up the world rankings, he said he still did not consider himself to be the British No1.
“We all know who the British No1 is and it is Andy Murray,” said Evans of the Scotsman, who is missing Melbourne as he struggles to shake off a pelvic injury. “He is the best player even at the minute when he is injured.”
The build-up to the main draw had been all about the poor air quality in the city due to the bushfires, which led to a near player revolt in qualifying.
The Canadian Denis Shapovalov had even threatened to walk off mid-match should the skies be too smoky, but that failed to happen as the 13th seed was knocked out in a fractious encounter 6-3, 6-7 6-1, 7-6 by Marton Fucsovics.
Shapovalov, 20, was warned by the umpire for throwing his racket.
He said: “I’m not breaking any rules. It’s my racket, I can do whatever the hell I want with it. What are you talking about? I didn’t break it.
“If I broke it, give me a code, 100 per cent. I didn’t break my racket. It was a terrible call, do your job.”
Meanwhile, Roger Federer coasted into the second round in his quest for a 21st Grand Slam title at the age of 38 after beating American Steve Johnson 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.