By defeating Lucas Pouille in New York, Dan Evans has managed to set up a match against Roger Federer at the US Open.
Dan Evans sets up Roger Federer at US Open after beating Lucas Pouille on in New York.
The Brit secured his second-round win with a score of 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, meaning the 29-year-old will now compete against his friend, Roger Federer.
Evans has shown glimpses of greatness in New York in the past. Following his four-set victory over an off-form Lucas Pouille on Thursday, he enters the US Open third round with renewed momentum.
The British No. 2 advanced to a third-round showdown with Roger Federer after exploiting Lucas Pouille's sloppy performance at the US Open.
This match gives Evans his third shot at defeating the legendary Swiss icon at a Grand Slam, having lost both previous attempts. While Federer won comfortably at Wimbledon 2016, their meeting at this year's Australian Open was much tighter, with Federer needing two tie-breaks to secure the win in straight sets.
Johanna Konta breezed into the third round, disposing of Margarita Gasparyan in a quick 54-minute match. Konta was unstoppable, firing 24 winners to leave the unseeded Russian with no answers, ultimately winning 6-1, 6-0.
Earlier that season, despite dealing with personal distractions off the court, Evans showed impressive form after qualifying. He managed to defeat both Kei Nishikori and the dangerous Bernard Tomic, and nearly upset the veteran Tommy Robredo. In a twist of fate, Robredo went on to beat Federer in the following round—a victory that could have belonged to Evans had he closed out his match.
A similar pattern emerged in 2016, where Evans peaked at the right moment but couldn't quite finish the job. After beating Rajeev Ram and Alexander Zverev, he had a match point against world No. 3 Stan Wawrinka in the fourth-set tie-break, only to miss a smash. He couldn't hold his lead in the fifth set, and Wawrinka eventually went on to win the tournament by defeating Novak Djokovic. Evans' second encounter with Federer took place during the second round of this year's Australian Open.
Following his four-set win over Damir Dzumhur on a rain-delayed Wednesday under the Arthur Ashe roof, Federer commented on his upcoming opponent: 'I'm quite familiar with Danny; he actually came to Switzerland to train with me. He's a strong player on fast courts, so I'll be ready. I'm just happy to be moving into the third round.'