DAN EVANS’ Wimbledon mission impossible fell just short – but he left with his head held high.
British No2 Evans, the 27th seed, was looking to pull off an unlikely comeback against Quentin Halys of France after losing the first two sets.
When the Brummie dug deep to win a third set tie-break, the Centre Court crowd began to believe he could pull off the ultimate tennis recovery for the third time in his Grand Slam career, after triumphs in Australia in 2020 and Flushing Meadows a year later.
But despite giving his all, Evans fell short, Halys’ power proved just too much as the Frenchman prevailed 6-2 6-3 6-7 6-4.
It was heartbreak for Evans, who paid the price for giving himself a mountain to climb.
The tie-break, with Halys cracking under the pressure as he netted a simple volley to hand Evans the chance to serve it out, set the scene for a potential late-night epic under the lights.
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Where the Monday night gloom incarnation of Evans was a player almost looking to be put out of his misery, it was a different story 24 hours later.
Evans, 33, looked more like the man who had reached the third round in 2019 and 2021, showing grit, determination and resilience, even if he struggled to make much of an impression on the searing Halys serve.
An ace on the first point after the resumption was a signal of Evans’ intent, his body language totally different as he used the emotions of the crowd to get himself going as well.
When Halys’ return at set point hit the net cord but dropped back on his side of the net, Evans’ roar almost lifted the famous Wimbledon roof off its hinges.
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If he had converted his only break point of the evening with a running pass that went fractionally too long, in the seventh game of the fourth, the momentum shift might have carried the Brit all the way.
But it was Evans who cracked, double-faulting at 30-30 to gift Halys a match point.
And then he saw a second serve smashed back past him to see his dream shattered.
