Dan Evans faced a tough match at the Aegon Open as he recovered from a set down and three match points down to defeat British compatriot Liam Broady 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(6).
Playing against fellow Brit Broady
The world number 92, who was bidding for his first victory at the Aegon Open in Nottingham at the third attempt was delighted to recover to secure victory.
Evans said: “It was a tough one. I just had to keep fighting and be a bit more aggressive to turn the match around. “It’s always nice to play in front of the home fans. The last time I won a match in front of the home fans was last year. It’s always nice to win some matches.”
The two Brits both received wildcards into the main draw and were playing each other for the first time. “Obviously, I’m good friends with Liam, so it was tough. He’s left handed and plays a difficult style so it was a pretty tough match today. It’s a bit different from playing anyone else in the draw.
"We practice together quite a lot. We travel together quite a bit in Asia. Over the last year we’ve spent quite a bit of time together so we practice quite a bit.”
The tiebreak was a tense affair as Evans saw his 5-2 lead slip back to 5-5. “Yeah, tie breaks are never easy, especially playing Liam as well. It’s a tough situation all round and playing in a third set breaker is not an easy task.”
Evans meteoric rise in the last 12 months
Evans has risen from 754 in the world to number 92 in just one year and is pleased with his progress. “I’ve been working pretty hard, trying to just get my ranking up and play a lot of tournaments. I’ve played a lot of tournaments in the last year so that’s really helped.”
Thoughts on taking on Berankis in round two
The British number four faces the 16th seed Ricardas Berankis in the second round tomorrow last up on Centre Court, a player he defeated in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(5) in the semifinals of the Taipei Challenger. “It’s a tough match. I actually played him in Asia not so long ago so obviously we know each other’s game. It’s going to be another tough match. I think he likes the grass so it’s going to be a good match and I look forward to it.”