Dan Evans is into the fourth round of a slam
for the first time in his turbulent career – on
the same side of the draw as Andy Murray –
after pulling a master stroke bordering on
gamesmanship to beat Bernard Tomic 7-5,
7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) in just under three hours on
day five of the Australian Open .
After missing his first
serve at deuce at five-all
in the third, and
struggling with either
cramp or a sore foot,
Evans complained
vociferously that the lines
had become dangerous
because of a light drizzle, and insisted play
be stopped or the roof on Hisense Arena,
where Murray earlier beat Sam Querrey in
three sets in high wind, be drawn across.
Evans, a streetwise maverick, dashed from
the court for a quick break, while Tomic sat
in his chair, shaking his head and, when play
resumed shortly afterwards, Evans held,
forcing a desperate fightback from Tomic to
force a second tie-break. There, he completed
the job, tormenting Tomic with his sliced
backhand to the point where he could not
control his final forehand.
Evans next plays a former finalist here, Jo-
Wilfried Tsonga, who beat the rising
American Jack Sock 7-6 (4), 7-5, 6-7 (8), 6-3.
The Frenchman, seeded 12, will be more tired
than Evans, having taken three hours and 33
minutes to get it done.
The Evans-Tomic battle was a wonderful
match, full of brilliant and clever shot-
making, and invested with rolling drama
from start to finish. There was a lot of mutual
respect at the finish.
“I should say thank you to the crowd,” Evans
said courtside, turning the catcalls to cheers.
“It was a great atmosphere and made the
match way better. It was tough. Bernie’s
unorthodox, plays aggressive. It could have
gone either way. I was just focusing on the
end result all the time. It was the same for
both [he said of the rain interruption]. We
both handled it pretty well.”
Tennis is crying out for players with attitude,
and these have enough to fill a UFC bill.
Evans, who hit 58 winners and nine aces to
Tomic’s 17, held his nerve the better in key
points but the Australian contributed to the
entertainment too, stroking the ball elegantly
in reply to the artful tennis of the
Birmingham player, two years his senior but
similarly headstrong.
“Me and Dan Evans are good friends and I
respect him for what he’s achieved,” Tomic
said beforehand of the history between them.
The Australian’s father, John, once
memorably told Evans he was not good
enough to hit with his son – although he won
their only Tour encounter, over five terrific
sets at the US Open in 2013. Evans was not
bothered when asked about it this week, but
clearly he will have taken a lot of satisfaction
from this win.
It was a delicious match-up of styles, Evans
probably a little more court-smart, Tomic, the
last of 11 Australians in the men’s draw, a
delight when opening up with his languid
power behind one of the most reliable serves
in the game, but he couldn’t hold in the first
game of the match, and the Birmingham
player was into his stride.
What Evans understood (and which Tomic
plainly knew) was the Australian is at his best
when feeding off his opponent’s power, so
down it came in a welter of slices and drop
shots, Evans holding with a single-handed
backhand slap down the line.
He inexplicably handed the break back from
40-15 up with a couple of sloppy ground
strokes – only for Tomic to reciprocate
immediately, then squander two of three
break points before forcing a final error out
of Evans in the sixth game. It was not shaping
up as a conventional contest, and on they
stumbled to parity, until Evans got another
precious break point at 5-all, and Tomic
obliged by shoving a lazy forehand into the
tramlines.
Evans served out to love with an ace – and
another big hit wide that struck a ball girl. He
apologised, smiled and moved on, in grand
style as it happens, taking the second set on a
tie-break, then moving through the gears in
the third.
He framed a volley to avoid break point in
the seventh game, but thrashed a volley
needlessly for deuce. Tomic let his attacking
instincts disrupt his rhythm and Evans drop-
shotted him for 4-3.
He was under serious pressure in the ninth
game and played with courageous intent to
save three break points, one with a running
winner that Tomic was magnanimous enough
to applaud. He hit the fastest of his aces,
131mph, but looked to be seizing up with
cramp or soreness in his right foot before
smashing at the net for 5-4.
And then followed his artful dodging.
Probably the only Australian not screaming
insults at him for what they perceived as
gamesmanship was his girlfriend, Emma
Blake-Hahnel. Life is rarely dull with
Dangerous Dan.
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