“I don’t want to do that again,” Dan Evans said after his five-hour, 35-minute first-round victory. And thanks to his own brilliance, he didn’t have to, reaching the third round of the US Open in a much more reasonable two hours, 37 minutes.
The 34-year-old defeated Argentine Mariano Navone 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 and will play 10th-seeded Alex de Minaur in the third round on Saturday.
For someone who has appeared in New York since March without winning a single time, this tour was a pleasant surprise.
And how wonderful to see Evans, after playing such a rich and selfless supporting role in Andy Murray’s Olympic swansong, create his own magic. After sealing this victory, Evans went straight up to a man in the crowd wearing the shirt of his beloved Aston Villa and exchanged a thunderous high five.
Evans continued to maintain throughout that run of ten consecutive defeats on the ATP Tour that he was playing decent tennis, and he certainly did that here.
Dan Evans reached the third round of the US Open after beating Mariano Navone on Thursday
The 34-year-old defeated the Argentine 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in two hours and 37 minutes
Navone is one of the extremes among clay court players. Before this season, he had hardly played on dirt surfaces. Evans’ razor-sharp backhand and subtle hand skills were a problem he could not solve.
De Minaur will feel much more comfortable against Evans’ classical playing style, but the suspicion is that that is a bridge too far.
But as he showed us when he came back from a 4-0, 40-15 deficit against Karen Khachanov in the first round, anything is possible in this funny old game.
Even in this ultimately easy win against Navone, Evans showed some of that fighting spirit. The South American led 2-0 in each of the first two sets, but Evans recovered.
Given the amount of time Evans spent on the court in the opening round, Navone’s plan will undoubtedly have been to take the match deep and really test the older man’s legs.
But Evans’ class never gave him the chance and one of the hottest runs at this US Open continues.
Evans will face Australian Alex de Minaur (pictured) in the third round on Saturday.
He will be joined by Jack Draper in the third round and the 22-year-old had some nice words about his Davis Cup colleague.
“I have a huge amount of respect for Dan. He’s an incredible competitor. I grew up with him when I was younger and played with him, his competitiveness has always been off the charts.
“The last few years he’s obviously had a tough time with a few injuries and a lot of tough draws. When Dan Evans feels good about his tennis and is hungry, he’s still one of the best players in the world. His tennis and his tennis IQ are extremely high.
“I am incredibly happy for Dan,” a sentiment shared by much of Britain.