Former British number two Dan Evans continued his comeback from a year’s ban for cocaine use as he advanced to the Surbiton Trophy semi-finals.

The 28-year-old beat Austrian veteran Jurgen Melzer, a former top-10 player, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 to make the last four.

Evans, who was won 12 of his 14 matches since his return in April, has also been given a main draw place in next week’s warm-up event in Nottingham.

He will play top-seeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy next.

Elsewhere 21-year-old Briton Harriet Dart also made the Surbiton semi-finals by beating Yanina Wickmayer 6-2 3-6 6-0. She will meet Switzerland’s Perrin Conny.

Ranked 858th in the world, Evans is likely to require a wildcard to make the main draw of either Wimbledon or Queen’s this summer.

He reached a career high ranking of 41 in March 2017, a month before he tested positive for cocaine at an event in Barcelona.

He reached the third round of Wimbledon in 2016, losing to Roger Federer in straight sets on Centre Court.

• Live scores, schedule and results
• Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone