Britain’s Dan Evans secured a second-round victory at the US Open, defeating Argentina’s Mariano Navone in straight sets. This win comes after Evans’ grueling first-round match, where he played the longest match in US Open history, defeating Russia’s Karen Khachanov in five hours and 35 minutes.
The 34-year-old Evans overcame Navone, ranked 36th in the world, with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 victory, advancing to the third round. Despite finding himself 0-3 down in the first set, Evans quickly recovered, winning six of the next seven games.
He then overturned an early break in the second set and broke twice more, while also holding off a late surge by Navone in the third. Evans celebrated with fans after Navone’s forehand went long on the second match point, concluding the match after two hours and 37 minutes.
Evans acknowledged feeling “extra pressure” following his historic first-round match against the 23rd seed Khachanov, noting, “It was a strange 48 hours. Everyone was congratulating me which was almost a bit embarrassing.” He added, “I felt a bit more extra pressure to win, I didn’t want to win that match and lose in the next round – it wouldn’t feel right.”
Evans, ranked 184th in the world, had not won two consecutive matches on the ATP Tour this year prior to this tournament. His next opponent will be Australian 10th seed Alex de Minaur, who secured his spot in the third round by defeating Finland’s Otto Virtanen 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3).
**Boulter Suffers Defeat, Draper Advances**
British women’s number one Katie Boulter was defeated by Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the second round. Boulter, the 31st seed, lost 7-5, 7-5 after a strong start in the opening set.
Following her loss, Boulter expressed her frustration, telling her team, “everything was horrendous.” She commented, “A really tricky match for me. Today I was a little too passive and I didn’t quite play the way I wanted to play.” Boulter acknowledged the challenge of facing lower-ranked players who “are always going to have a go at you” when you’re the higher seed.
Boulter, who has climbed the rankings significantly over the past 18 months, has yet to advance beyond the second week of a Grand Slam. She admitted that she was not as prepared for the hard courts at the US Open, having completed just three matches on the surface after playing at the Olympics on the Paris clay.
Meanwhile, Bouzas Maneiro, ranked 74th, has been in strong form, reaching the third round of Wimbledon earlier this year before retiring injured against eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova. She will face sixth seed Jessica Pegula in the third round after Pegula defeated fellow American Sofia Kenin 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.
In the men’s draw, British number one Jack Draper secured a comfortable victory over Argentina’s Facundo Diaz Acosta, winning 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Draper, who won his first ATP title at Stuttgart in June, is aiming for further success at the US Open, where he reached the fourth round last year.
His victory sets up a potential third-round meeting with third seed Carlos Alcaraz, who he defeated at Queen’s Club in June. Draper commented on the possibility of facing Alcaraz, saying, “If I do play him I’ll be expecting a very different Carlos Alcaraz out there to the one I played at Queen’s, so I’m looking forward to that battle and let’s see how that goes.”
