Charged with the unenviable task of facing the best tennis player in the world in the sport’s largest stadium, Dan Evans did all that he could. He irritated Carlos Alcaraz with his wicked, searing slice, he ceaselessly swept to the net and he showed ample resilience even as the battle seemed lost.
For all his variety and grit, though, he could only momentarily slow Alcaraz down. Forced to a fourth set, the top seed and defending champion responded to Evans’s challenge at Arthur Ashe Stadium by elevating his own level and moving into the fourth round of the US Open with a strong 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win.
