In-form Aslan Karatsev sees off British No 1 Dan Evans in second round in Dubai

British No 1 Dan Evans became the latest victim to fall to man of the moment Aslan Karatsev at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Karatsev, out to prove his remarkable run to the Australian Open semi-finals a month ago was no flash in the pan, knocked out Evans 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in a seesaw second-round encounter.
Evans, seeded 12th at the tournament where he reached the semi-finals last year, had no answer to the Russian’s booming return of serve for the first set-and-a-half.
The pace on those returns forced two break points in the fifth game and an Evans double-fault on the second gave Karatsev the lead at 3-2.
World number 28 Evans hustled and harried his way to an immediate break back, but Karatsev instantly regained the initiative and served out the first set.
Tough battle in Dubai
Dan Evans falls in a back and forth encounter with Aslan Karatsev 6-4, 4-6, 6-4#BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/Zg33vjngc7
— LTA (@the_LTA) March 16, 2021
Evans, who won his first ATP Tour title at the Murray River Open in Melbourne last month, grew visibly frustrated as he was broken twice at the start of the second.
But at 4-3, 40-0 down, Evans began to turn things around as Karatsev’s rhythm suddenly deserted him.
The 30-year-old battled back to break for 4-4 and went on to level the match.
However Karatsev, up from 114 to 42 in the world and playing at his first ATP 500 event at the age of 27, came out at the start of the decider revitalised.
He took what turned out to be the decisive break in the opening game and saved two break points in serving out the match, wrapping up victory in two hours and 22 minutes.
Follow us on Twitter @T365Official and like our Facebook page.
Latest
-
News
Aryna Sabalenka books power battle with Elena Rybakina in Australian Open final
Sabalenka beat Magda Linette 7-6 (1) 6-2 to reach her first grand slam singles final.
-
Australian Open
Novak Djokovic plunged into fresh controversy and he needs to fix it quickly
Novak Djokovic needs to do all he can to clean up the mess created by his father as quickly as possible.
-
Tennis News
WATCH: Andy Murray shares hilarious mock lipreading video from Thanasi Kokkinakis clash
Andy Murray saw the funny side of a TikTok video showing mock lipreading captions of footage from his Australian Open second round win.
-
Australian Open
Novak Djokovic still motivated by Rafael Nadal rivalry
That Grand Slam record is on Novak Djokovic’s mind for sure.
-
News
Elena Rybakina clinches straight sets semi-final win over Victoria Azarenka
Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina defeated Victoria Azarenka to reach her second grand slam final at the Australian Open.
-
Tennis News
Boris Becker says Novak Djokovic ‘thrives’ on noisy crowds
Djokovic eased past Andrey Rublev in straight sets in the quarter-finals, but the match was disrupted by a heckler.
-
Australian Open
Novak Djokovic in new media storm as his father is filmed posing with Russian flag wavers
Video showed Djokovic’s father Srdjan posing with a man holding the Russian flag with the face of Vladimir Putin printed on it.
-
Live Tennis
2023 Australian Open: Follow day 11 with T365’s live scores and results centre…
This way for the action from the 2023 Australian Open.
-
Australian Open
John McEnroe questions Iga Swiatek’s emotional state after Australian Open exit
John McEnroe suggested world No 1 Iga Swiatek needs to rediscover a stable mindset to get back to winning ways.
-
Australian Open
Russian fans display pro-war symbols and banned flags at Australian Open
Russian fans have been questioned by police over flags and symbols displayed at the Australian Open.