Dan Evans turned around a difficult season in style by winning the biggest title of his career at the Citi Open in Washington DC.
The British No 2 arrived in the US capital on a seven-match losing run at tour level dating back to April but, after dropping a set to Grégoire Barrère in the round of 32, he won 10 in a row to lift the trophy.
Evans followed up victories against Alexander Shevchenko, Frances Tiafoe and Grigor Dimitrov by beating the Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 7-5, 6-3, keeping his focus during a lengthy rain delay in the second set. The 33-year-old hit 26 winners and saved Griekspoor’s only break points – four of them – in the final game.
The relief and delight on Evans’s face was evident at the end and, speaking on court, he said: “I wasn’t playing very well and I wasn’t happy with my game. To do the work I’ve done and to stick with it and come through is [amazing]. The last game sort of summed up my week. I got out of trouble and it was an amazing week.”
It is Evans’s second ATP Tour title, his first came in Australia at the start of 2021, and lifts him to a career‑high ranking of 21. He had endured a miserable grass‑court season, branding his efforts against Sebastian Korda at Queen’s Club embarrassing and saying he was not looking forward to playing any match. He parted ways with his Argentinian coach of two years, Sebastián Prieto, but looked full of confidence using his all‑round skills to counter the power of Griekspoor.
One break in each set proved enough, with Evans piling on the pressure at the end of the first set and then, after rain and the threat of lightning sent players and fans from the court for more than 90 minutes at 2-2 in the second, winning the final three games of the contest.
Reflecting on his change in fortunes, Evans said: “Last week I lost [against Dominik Koepfer in Atlanta], having three match points, served for the match. You try not to let emotions get in the way when you’re in the tournament. I was confident after the second round that I was playing well but I had to keep telling myself it was match by match and not so long ago I wasn’t playing great.
“It was really only the grass I didn’t play well. I played well in Barcelona on the clay and then I had some rough matches which I didn’t get the best out of. I lost in three [sets] a few times or in tight matches. Then I was playing well and I just couldn’t get over the line. That’s where you lean on your team to keep you working hard and training and practising hard.
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“It’s especially good to get the outcome I got this week. But I said to myself once I got into the semis that that was a good effort and then I sort of reset and wanted to win the tournament.”
Evans is four points short of breaking into the top 20 for the first time, in his career but he will need arguably an even better showing at the National Bank Open in Toronto this week to achieve that having reach the semi-finals of the Masters 1000 event 12 months ago.
Evans faces the Canadian wildcard Gabriel Diallo in the first round and could meet the British No 1, Cameron Norrie, in round two.