Former British number two Dan Evans, on a comeback from a year’s ban for using cocaine, lost in the Surbiton Trophy semi-finals to top seed Jeremy Chardy.

The 28-year-old was beaten 6-4 7-6 (7-3) by the Frenchman, who is a former Australian Open quarter-finalist and was once ranked 25th in the world.

Evans has won 12 of his 15 matches since his return in April.

Ranked 858th in the world, Evans is likely to require a wildcard to make the main draw of Wimbledon 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.

In the women’s semi-finals in Surbiton, 21-year-old Briton Harriet Dart was beaten 3-6 6-2 7-6 (7-5) by Switzerland’s Conny Perrin.

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