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Evans Picks Out Winning Style In Melbourne

  • Posted: Jan 19, 2017

Evans Picks Out Winning Style In Melbourne

Jan192017

Brit faces Aussie Tomic in 3R

Daniel Evans, No. 51 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, needed some tennis clothes before playing in his next tournament, the Australian Open.

His contract with his previous clothing supplier, Nike, had ended last December. So Evans, much like a recreational tennis player or even a beginner would do, visited a clothing store – in his case, Uniqlo – and picked up some clothes for his matches.

“I just went to the store and bought a load of clothes the other day, plain clothes,” Evans said on Wednesday when asked about his fashion. The Brit had just beaten seventh seed Marin Cilic in the second round in Melbourne for the biggest win of his career.

The shirts cost him $19.99, Evans said. He didn’t recall how much the shorts were. “I didn’t look. I just picked the shorts up. I was more worried about the shirts,” he said.

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Evans bought 18 shirts this past weekend and returned to buy some more on Wednesday before his match against Cilic. He doesn’t think he’ll have to run that errand again, though.

“No, I only wore one shirt today,” he said on Wednesday. “I’m good till Friday. We’re good.”

Evans’ tennis has also been very good. The 26-year-old Brit matched his best Grand Slam result by beating Cilic and advancing to the third round Down Under.

Before this week, the Birmingham native had never won a match at the season’s first Grand Slam. Last year, during his debut as a qualifier, Evans fell to Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in straight sets.

“It was really good,” said Evans, who faces Aussie Bernard Tomic in the third round. “I think I played as well as I can play today. I was really pleased with how I played especially towards the end of the match… Definitely the biggest win.”

Moet and Chandon off-court news 

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Confident Konta shows her quality but Edmund loses

  • Posted: Jan 19, 2017
Australian Open 2017
Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne Dates: 16-29 Jan
Coverage: Daily live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra; live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website.

Johanna Konta made it three British players through to the third round of the Australian Open with an assured 6-3 6-2 victory over Japan’s Naomi Osaka.

The 25-year-old ninth seed produced a confident all-round display to see off the promising 19-year-old.

She follows Andy Murray and Dan Evans in making the last 32 and could be joined there by Heather Watson, who plays Jennifer Brady on Thursday.

But Kyle Edmund was beaten 6-2 6-4 6-2 by Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta.

The British number two produced an impressive victory to reach the second round but was unable to maintain that form against the 30th seed.

Edmund, 22, made too many errors and could not match the power and accuracy of his opponent’s serve, as he lost in an hour and 46 minutes.

  • Live radio and text coverage of Edmund and Watson
  • Live scores, results and order of play
  • Andy Murray column: Dan Evans’ exciting form, injury worries and inspiring the next generation

Clinical win for in-form Konta

Konta, who will face Denmark’s 17th seed Caroline Wozniacki on Saturday, faced an opponent rated one of the most talented players in the women’s game.

The big-serving Osaka, ranked 48th, had a chance to break Konta in the eighth game but missed a forehand and then looked on helplessly as the Briton fired down two aces to hold serve.

Konta took advantage of her opponent’s loss of focus to break to love and then served out the opening set in clinical fashion.

The Briton dominated the second set to secure her 10th win of 2017.

“I love playing on these amazing courts and I’m looking forward to staying here as long as possible,” she said.

Analysis – Konta a serious contender

Former Fed Cup coach Judy Murray on Radio 5 live sports extra

Johanna Konta is looking every bit the contender. She has one of the best serves in the women’s game, moves well, defends much better and plays well off both sides.

She looks confident, determined and focused. She has a strong team in her corner and is in a very good position to go far in this competition.

Edmund outclassed by Carreno Busta

Edmund started by winning the first game of the match on serve but proceeded to lose the next five.

At 5-2 the 22-year-old called the trainer for treatment on his left foot, but it did not affect the momentum of the match as he netted a forehand on set point in the next game.

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Edmund had his first break point in the second game of the second set, but failed to take it, and then he double-faulted to hand Carreno Busta a break in the seventh game.

Edmund had a couple of chances to level the set in the 10th game, but Carreno Busta produced two big serves and eventually took the set after surviving two further break points.

Two unforced errors and a double fault handed the Spaniard a break in the fifth game of the third set and the contest was effectively over when Carreno Busta got a second break two games later.

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Bryans Begin Bid For Seventh Melbourne Crown

  • Posted: Jan 18, 2017

Bryans Begin Bid For Seventh Melbourne Crown

Jan182017

Fourth seeds Kontinen/Peers also advance

Third seeds Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan made a speedy start at the Australian Open on Wednesday as the men’s doubles draw action kicked off. The six-time champions did not face a break point to beat the all-French duo of Paul-Henri Mathieu and Benoit Paire 6-3, 6-0 in 43 minutes.

Fourth seeds and reigning ATP Finals champions Henri Kontinen and John Peers fired seven aces to defeat Santiago Gonzalez and David Marrero 7-6(1), 6-4. They next face Marcos Baghdatis and Gilles Muller, 6-1, 6-4 winners over Cheng-Peng Hsieh and Tsung-Hua Yang.

Fifth seeds Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Alexandr Dolgopolov and Gerald Melzer, while No. 9 seeds Ivan Dodig and Marcel Granollers, a new team for 2017, won 6-3, 6-4 over Malek Jaziri and Stephane Robert. Dodig/Granollers next play Robert Lindstedt and Michael Venus, 7-6(6), 7-6(2) winners over Andre Begemann and Jan-Lennard Struff.

Other seeds to advance to the second round: No. 11 seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau defeated Philipp Petzschner and Mikhail Youzhny 7-6(5), 7-6(3), fifteenth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Pablo Cuevas beat Thomaz Bellucci and Maximo Gonzalez 6-4, 7-6(4) and Dominic Inglot and Florin Mergea, the No. 16 seeds, advanced 6-2, 7-5 over home hopes Luke Saville and Jordan Thompson.

Aussies Matthew Barton and Matthew Ebden scored an upset in front of their home crowd, a 6-2, 6-4 win over No. 12 seeds Vasek Pospisil and Radek Stepanek.

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Nishikori's Dream Selfie

  • Posted: Jan 18, 2017

Nishikori's Dream Selfie

Jan182017

Japanese star picks a certain Florida neighbor

If given the chance for a dream selfie, some ATP World Tour pros might opt for pictures with other famous athletes, such as David Beckham or Kobe Bryant.

But not Kei Nishikori. Who would Nishikori want to take a selfie with?

“Mickey,” he said on Wednesday after his second-round win against Jeremy Chardy at the Australian Open.

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“Who is that?” the reporter asked.

Nishikori, apparently befuddled by the question, simply repeated his one-word answer. “Mickey,” he said.

The reporter still did not understand, though. “What’s Mickey famous for?” the reporter asked.

“Disney World,” Nishikori said to laughs.

To be fair, the Japanese star should know Mickey Mouse and other Disney World characters better than most. Nishikori trains at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, which is about 160 kilometers from Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Watch Now: Off-Season Training With Nishikori

Nishikori will hope to be the star of his third-round match on Friday. The 27-year-old faces Slovakia’s Lukas Lacko, who beat Dudi Sela of Israel 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

Moet and Chandon off-court news 

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Kyrgios, Cilic Suffer Early Exits In Melbourne

  • Posted: Jan 18, 2017

Kyrgios, Cilic Suffer Early Exits In Melbourne

Jan182017

Local hope and former Grand Slam champion are upset

Andreas Seppi silenced Australian supporters on Hisense Arena when he saved one match points in a comeback victory over local No. 14 seed Nick Kyrgios at the Australian Open on Wednesday night.

World No. 89 Seppi fought back from an 0-2 sets deficit and saved one match point at 7-8, Ad-out, in the deciding set to triumph 1-6, 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-2, 10-8 in three hours and 12 minutes. It was his fifth comeback from 0-2 sets down and his first win over Kyrgios, who had previous beaten Seppi at the 2014 US Open and 2015 Australian Open (8-6 in the fifth set).

Seppi now challenges Steve Darcis, a 6-3, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 winner over Diego Schwartzman.

Just five days on from appearing his first ATP World Tour final, Briton Daniel Evans recorded the biggest win of his career in beating World No. 7 Marin Cilic of Croatia.

Evans, who is currently at a career-high No. 51 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, won 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 in just under three hours, hitting 29 winners to Cilic’s 55 winners. It was the first time Cilic had lost to a player ranked as low as Evans at the major since falling to No. 126-ranked Ilija Bozoljac as a qualifier in 2007.

The 26-year-old Evans is through to the third round of a major championship for the fourth time in his career and will now face Australian No. 27 seed Bernard Tomic or Victor Estrella Burgos of the Dominican Republic.

He beat No. 8-ranked Dominic Thiem en route to the Apia Sydney International final last week, when he lost to Gilles Muller in the title match.

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'I'm excited for my talented mate Dan – and my ankle is fine'

  • Posted: Jan 18, 2017
2017 Australian Open
Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 16-29 January
Coverage: Live radio and text commentary of every Andy Murray match on BBC Radio, BBC Sport website and BBC Sport app. Watch highlights on BBC Two and online from 21 January.

I’m really happy and excited for Dan Evans, who is getting closer and closer to the top of the game.

I’ve known him a long time. I first met him when we played a Davis Cup tie probably nine, 10 years ago. You spend a week together in the build-up and since then I’ve seen him a lot at various events.

He used to have a reputation of maybe not working that hard but every time I have been on the court with him, he has been fantastic.

He’s a natural competitor. Once you get him on the match court, he always tries his best and gives his best effort and I really respect that.

Away from the court, he’s a pretty relaxed guy. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and he likes to have a good time, but when he’s playing, he’s focused. He’s a very talented player.

I haven’t spoken to him loads about his tennis. He has a team around him that is doing such a fantastic job.

If he keeps doing what he’s doing, who knows where he could end up? It’s exciting to see how good he is going to be. We still don’t know what his limit is.

‘We want to inspire kids to pick up a racquet’

It’s a really promising time to be part of British tennis. A number of players are close to the top of their game and that’s really good.

I definitely think that having a number of different players, with different personalities and backgrounds and playing styles, is really positive. I hope it keeps going that way.

A lot of kids might watch tennis and hate watching me. But some might love watching Johanna Konta, or Dan, or Kyle Edmund or Heather Watson.

The more choice there is, the more role models people have to look up to and that is a really positive thing.

‘I was worried about my ankle’

There was a moment of panic when I went over on my ankle during my match against Andrey Rublev. You don’t know how bad it is until you get up and you’re also a bit shocked about going over.

Once I got up and started moving around, it was still a bit concerning because it was sore. I’m walking around on it fine now – it’s sore, but it’s OK.

For now, it’s all about icing it and keeping it elevated. I had an ice bath after the game and I’ll be keeping it cool for the next few days. It’s all good.

‘I know how teenager Rublev felt’

Facing Rublev did give me a few flashbacks to when I was first starting out.

I played Rafael Nadal when I was 19 at the 2007 Australian Open. Going out for the first time against one of the top players does influence the way you play.

I expected Rublev to come out going for his shots, because he had nothing to lose. He got off to a pretty quick start but once I settled down, I played some good stuff. He’s a good player though and definitely one to watch in the future.

  • Andy Murray was talking to BBC Sport’s Amy Lofthouse.

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Britain's Evans hopes to move on from 'dark times'

  • Posted: Jan 18, 2017

British number three Dan Evans believes he has come through a difficult period in his career after beating world number seven Marin Cilic at the Australian Open.

The 26-year-old caused a massive upset to beat the former US Open champion 3-6 7-5 6-3 6-3 and reach the third round.

It comes after a struggle at the end of 2016 following a heartbreaking defeat by Stan Wawrinka at the US Open.

“There were some tough times after the Wawrinka match,” he said.

“I still think about that match on the court today. It’s not easy when you had the opportunity to sort of close out the big match and then lose.

“Yeah, I’m happy it happened. But, you know, hopefully there will be no more dark times, as you put it.”

World number 51 Evans squandered a match point in the fourth set of his third-round match with two-time Grand Slam champion Wawrinka in September.

He was devastated afterwards and went on to finish the year with three defeats from four matches – all against lower-ranked opposition.

But he is now into the third round of a Grand Slam for only the fourth time of his career – and the first time in Melbourne.

  • Kyrgios beaten as Federer progresses
  • Champion Kerber survives scare
  • Day three: All the results

No kit? No problem

Evans said the victory over Cilic was the “biggest” of his career as he joined compatriot Andy Murray in the third round.

He did it wearing shirts and shorts bought from a shop after his kit deal with Nike expired in December and was not renewed by the sports clothing company.

“I just went to the store and bought a load of clothes the other day, plain clothes,” he said.

“What was it, Sunday? Sunday or Saturday, yeah. £19.99, the shirts are.

“I think I bought about 18 shirts, something like that. I went back this morning to buy some more. They’re not the best quality, to sweat in and wash.

“I only wore one shirt today. I’m good until Friday.”

A renewed rivalry with Tomic

Evans will face Australian Tomic in the last 32, a man he beat in four sets in the second round of the 2013 US Open.

It was a win the Birmingham player enjoyed, after the world number 27’s father suggested he was not good enough to have a practice hit with his son.

“I’m not going to bother saying anything about that again. He confronted me about that. We’ll leave it at that,” he said on Wednesday.

“I’d say it’s a 50-50 match. So, yeah, I’m looking forward to playing him.”

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