The British No 2 lost in four sets to Mikael Ymer; Cameron Norrie is now the last British man remaining in the main draw; Daniil Medvedev progresses through to the third round; Casper Ruud's straight-sets win means he advances in the draw too
Saturday 28 May 2022 11:55, UK
Dan Evans was knocked out of the French Open in the second round after being hampered by a chest infection.
Evans lost 3-6 6-3 2-6 3-6 to Mikael Ymer and as the match progressed, he struggled physically.
Evans' departure from the men's singles main draw means No 1 Cameron Norrie is the only remaining British interest.
Norrie warmed up for the French Open by winning the Lyon Open title. He is the 10th seed at Roland Garros and has not dropped a set during the first two rounds.
Norrie takes on Karen Khachanov, who is the 21st seed, on Friday and their contest is the fourth match on Court Simonne-Mathieu.
Evans' conqueror Ymer will play Stefanos Tsitsipas next.
Tsitsipas - beaten by Novak Djokovic in last year's final - advanced with a marathon four-set victory over Zdenek Kolar, winning 6-3 7-6 6-7-7-6 in over four hours after rallying from four set points down in the fourth set.
Evans found himself a break down after a slow start and was a set behind following a 14-minute ninth game in which he saved five set points, and squandered two break points, before eventually succumbing.
But the fist pumps were out 43 minutes later when the Brit forced two set points on his own serve and levelled the match after Ymer netted a backhand.
An immediate break in the third seemed to have maintained Evans' momentum, but a rapid response from Ymer saw him reel off six games in a row to move 2-1 ahead.
Evans had the doctor on court between sets, but re-emerged to break again at the start of the fourth. However, he wilted again as Ymer got stronger and secured victory in three-hours and 22-minutes.
Evans was booed by the crowd after swatting a service return into the net to lose the match but said: "I couldn't care less. I gave away the last point, but I couldn't care less, to be honest with you.
"I think I'd put enough effort in for three-and-a-half hours. I was physically spent. That was it for me. It's frustrating and it's upsetting, don't get me wrong, but that's the way it goes.
"I've been struggling with the chest infection. It's not ideal really. Normal symptoms, sweating a lot in the night, bad sleep. It probably took a lot out of me. It's not an excuse. I was in some good situations, but physically I wasn't spot on."
Daniil Medvedev moved into the third round with a 6-3 6-4 6-3 win over Serbian Laslo Djere.
The world No 2, who reached the quarter-finals at Roland Garros last year after four consecutive first-round exits, struggled at times but found a way over the line on the surface he has admitted is not his favourite.
Medvedev won 70 per cent of points behind his first serve and was able to capitalise on the high unforced error count his opponent produced during the two-and-a-half hour match.
He will meet 28th seed Miomir Kecmanovic next, who beat Alexander Bublik in four sets 4-6 7-5 6-2 6-1.
"Today I think to be honest, Laslo was playing the better clay-court tennis," Medvedev said during his on-court interview.
"But I managed to fight and just put one more ball in the court than him. it was a very tough match, but I am happy to win.
"I honestly think I played better in the first round," he reflected. "I definitely need to play better next round, because it's going to be tougher and tougher. Again, I am not going to lie, I prefer hard courts."
Casper Ruud made sure he moved into the third round at Roland Garros for the third year in a row, courtesy of a 6-3 6-4 6-2 victory over Emil Ruusuvuori of Finland.
Ruud arrived in Paris having won the Geneva Open to secure his seventh career title on clay courts. The 23-year-old will look to reach the fourth round in Paris for the first time when he takes on Lorenzo Sonego.
"It was definitely a challenge," Ruud said about his match against Ruusuvuori.
"Even though it was three straight sets, there were some tough moments and some chances I didn't get, but some I did. All in all, I'm very happy with the performance."
Holger Rune, who beat the 14th seed Denis Shapovalov in the first round, overcame Henri Laaksonen 6-2 6-3 6-3. The 19-year-old is making his debut in Paris and reached the semi-finals in Lyon last week.
He will take on Hugo Gaston in the third round, after Gaston beat Pedro Cachin 6-4 6-2 6-4 on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Hubert Hurkacz advanced into the third round for the first time in five appearances, following his 6-1 6-4 6-2 win over Marco Cecchinato. He won 86 per cent of points behind his first serve and faces David Goffin next.
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