Dan Evans won the greatest championship of his career at the Citi Open in Washington, DC, to turn around a challenging season.
The British No. 2 entered the US capital with a seven-match losing streak on the tour, stretching back to April. However, after losing a set against Grégoire Barrère in the round of 32, he went on to win 10 straight matches and take home the trophy.
Following wins over Frances Tiafoe, Grigor Dimitrov, and Alexander Shevchenko, Evans defeated Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 7-5, 6-3. Evans maintained focus throughout a protracted rain delay in the second set. In the decisive game, the 33-year-old made 26 wins and averted Griekspoor’s four break points.
At the conclusion, Evans’ expression was filled with relief and joy, and when asked about his performance on the court, he said: “I wasn’t playing very well and I wasn’t happy with my game. To put up the effort I have and to persevere through it is [wonderful]. The most recent game seems to sum up my week. It was a great week and I got out of trouble.
Evans achieves a career-high ranking of 21 thanks to his second ATP Tour victory; his first came in Australia at the beginning of 2021. He said his performance against Sebastian Korda at Queen’s Club was embarrassing and that he was not looking forward to playing any matches because of his dismal grass-court season. He parted ways with Sebastián Prieto, his Argentinian coach of two years, but he still exuded confidence as he used his all-around abilities to balance out Griekspoor’s strength. Evans achieves a career-high ranking of 21 thanks to his second ATP Tour victory; his first came in Australia at the beginning of 2021. He said his performance against Sebastian Korda at Queen’s Club was embarrassing and that he was not looking forward to playing any matches because of his dismal grass-court season. He parted ways with Sebastián Prieto, his Argentinian coach of two years, but he still exuded confidence as he used his all-around abilities to balance out Griekspoor’s strength.
One break in each set was sufficient, and Evans increased the pressure at the conclusion of the first set before winning the final three games of the match after players and spectators were forced to leave the court for more than 90 minutes due to rain and the threat of lightning.
Evans reflected on his recent reversal of luck, saying: “Last week, I lost [against Dominik Koepfer in Atlanta] despite having served for the match and had three match points. When you’re in the competition, you strive to keep your emotions under control. I thought I was playing well after the second round, but I had to keep reminding myself that it was match by match, and not too long ago, I wasn’t playing well.
“I didn’t play well at all, honestly, except on the grass. On the clay in Barcelona, I did okay, but I then had some difficult matches that I didn’t perform as well in. I occasionally lost in three sets or in close matchups. Then, although playing well, I was unable to cross the finish line. At that point, you rely on your team to help you continue to train, practice, and work hard.
“It’s very satisfying to see the result I did this week. However, I told myself that was a decent effort until I advanced to the semifinals, and I sort of reset and wanted to win the competition.
Evans is four points away from reaching the top 20 for the first time in his career, but after making it to the semifinals of the Masters 1000 tournament a year ago, he will likely need an even stronger performance at the National Bank Open in Toronto this week to do so.
Evans might face British No. 1 Cameron Norrie in round two after facing Canadian wildcard Gabriel Diallo in the opening round.
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