Dan Evans snaps six-match losing streak with last 16 win in Marrakech

James Richardson 06 Apr 2023 6:06 PM

Dan Evans gets fired up

Dan Evans halted a six-match losing slide by defeating Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in the quarter-finals of the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakech.

Evans, the British No 2, defeated the world No 95 6-1 6-3 in the second round to end a losing sequence that stretched back to the Australian Open in January.

Evans, now ranked 30th in the world, was handed a No 2 seeding in Morocco’s clay court tournament and enjoyed a first-round bye.

“It was a tough match. I played well,” said 32-year-old Evans. “I haven’t won for a few tournaments, so it was important to win again.

“I enjoyed the match and it was good fun.”

Evans has been content to grind out results where he can and not sweat the poor results.

“I think you get to an age when you need to put the work in and try and fulfil what you think you have got,” Evans told ATPTour.com in a past interview.

“It comes hand in hand when you start working a bit harder, you get more success and you start to realise this is the right time to go after it.

“There are a lot of sacrifices being away from home, being away from family. I admire everyone who is out on the Tour putting the work in. Everyone who puts themselves on the line in front of a crowd to go out and perform and lose and then come back and do it all again. It is not easy.”

Evans feels that clay does present him with a chance to put his best foot forward, remembering an incredible match against Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut in Madrid last season.

He feels that match was a prime example of why you should soak in every moment on the ATP Tour.

“The match against Bautista Agut in Madrid was one of the highlights of the year,” Evans said. “It was against him, who I really like, and we had a really good hard battle and I managed to get on top of it. The atmosphere in the arena was amazing.

“I do a good job of appreciating what is happening in moments. Win or loss, it is something pretty special to be involved in when competing in electric atmospheres. For example in Spain, playing a Spaniard in Spain in a full house going crazy for him is pretty cool. If you don’t appreciate it, you miss out on an experience.”

Dan Evans will next face either Andrea Vavassori of Italy or Jaume Munar of Spain.