Support truly
independent journalism
Marathon man Dan Evans turned into a sprinter as he raced through to the third round of the US Open.
Only 48 hours after creating history in New York by winning the tournament’s longest-ever match in a gruelling five hours and 33 minutes, the 34-year-old made much lighter work of Mariano Navone.
The Argentinean, ranked 36 in the world, was dispatched in straight sets and whatever physical effects Evans was feeling he did not show them as he claimed a 6-4 6-3 6-3 success.
Given the tiring nature of Tuesday’s win over Karen Khachanov, which left him “hurting all over”, Evans was understandably sluggish.
Not helped by a rally that lasted 26 shots, he slipped to a 0-3 deficit in the opening set.
But from then on, the match was played on the Briton’s terms as he won five of the next six games to take the first set.
He overturned an early break in the second to assume further control, moving Navone around cleverly with his backhand slice.
Another run of five out of six games saw him take the second set and more dominance in the third saw him claim victory in just over two and a half hours and set up a third-round meeting with Australian Alex de Minaur.
