US Open 2024: Dan Evans downs Mariano Navone to march into third round in New York
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Dan Evans bounced back from Tuesday’s five-and-a-half-hour marathon match against Karen Khachanov to claim a dominant victory over Mariano Navone in Flushing Meadows.
The British No.5 stuck to his gameplan and eventually beat No.36 seed Navone 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in just over half the time – sealing his spot in the third round of the US Open for the seventh time in his last eight visits.
“I slept a bit in the day today because I was just really tired from the match the other night," Evans admitted. "I didn't hit yesterday and just focused and trying to get myself ready for today.
“I’ve been in and out of the ice bath quite a bit, lots of mobility just to get myself going. I probably will hit tomorrow. It wasn't that bad today, and hopefully I'll recover little by little. Hopefully, there's more to come.
“Everybody’s congratulated me (on the win against Khachanov). It was almost a bit embarrassing. I felt a bit more extra pressure to win (against Navone). I didn’t really want to win that match and then lose in the next round. It wouldn’t feel right. I wanted to focus hard, and I did that pretty good.”
"The record and stuff is great but I am here to win as well. I was not going to get that record and roll over."
As expected, it was slower start for the Brit in his second round contest who trailed 2-0 in the first two sets against Navone. However, Evans displayed a sprinkle of the fightback spirit we've become so accustomed to seeing to recover the breaks and get back on track.
The Brit continued to cause the Argentine issues with his trademark backhand slice, which left Navone unsettled. While bidding to move his opponent around the court, Evans also looked to keep the points short by approaching the net, where he won 78% (29/50) of points across the match.
After the two players caught a hold of a break each in the third set, it was Evans who had the last say as he handed Navone one final blow before closing out a confident win on his second match point.
“I’ve been in and out of the ice bath quite a bit, lots of mobility just to get myself going. I probably will hit tomorrow. It wasn't that bad today, and hopefully I'll recover little by little. And there's hopefully more to come.”
Evans will now bid to match his tournament best run of fourth round when he faces Australian 10th seed Alex de Minaur on Saturday.
Earlier on, British No.1 Jack Draper also sailed through in straight sets after defeating another Argentine in Facundo Diaz 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.
