Dan Evans and Kyle Edmund make winning starts at Barcelona Open
Monday 24 April 2017 18:21, UK
Dan Evans joined Davis Cup team-mate Kyle Edmund in the second round of the Barcelona Open after holding his nerve to claim his first ATP Tour win on clay.
Evans rose to the occasion against Thiago Monteiro of Brazil, storming through a final-set tie-break to triumph 6-7 (4) 6-2 7-6 (2).
When Evans dropped the first set he looked destined to fall to another defeat against the world No 80, who has beaten Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on the surface.
But Evans rallied from 0-4 down to break Monteiro three times in the second set, and won the first five points of the ensuing tie-break to set up a second round clash with Germany's Mischa Zverev.
Fellow Briton Edmund continued his excellent form on the red dirt as he brushed aside Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3 6-4 to reach the second round.
The British No 2, who pushed Rafael Nadal to three sets in Monte Carlo last week, will now head into a second round match against world No 9 Dominic Thiem.
Edmund seized his solitary break-point opportunity in the first set to nudge into the lead and one further break in the second was enough to complete victory.
Should Edmund and Evans both record wins they would face each other in another all-British battle for the second time in the space of a fortnight having played in Monte Carlo - a match in which Edmund came out on top in straight sets.
World No 1 Andy Murray will attempt to get his season back on track when he takes on Australia's Bernard Tomic or German Dustin Brown on Wednesday.
Live ATP Tennis
Live ATP Tennis
For those on the move, we will have all the latest news on Andy Murray, Kyle Edmund and Dan Evans' progress at the Barcelona Open via our website skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @skysportstennis for news, reports, live blogs and expert analysis with updates on Sky Sports News HQ.
Non-subscribers can grab a NOW TV Sky Sports Day Pass for just £6.99 or Sky Sports Week Pass for £10.99. No contract. You can enjoy access to all seven Sky Sports channels and watch on a TV with a NOW TV Box or on a range of devices.
