SM
Man City vs. Feyenoord: 9 hrs 10 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Dan Evans agonises over devastating defeat to Joao Sousa at Wimbledon

:Headline: Dan Evans agonises over devastating defeat to Joao Sousa at Wimbledon: ID:364124: from db_amp
Evans lost out 4-6 6-4 7-5 4-6 6-4 after nearly four hours.

Dan Evans was left ruing what might have been after a heartbreaking five-set loss to Joao Sousa under the Court One roof in the third round of Wimbledon.

With Rafael Nadal waiting in the next round and Evans looking for his best result at the All England Club, the rewards were big but he was unable to take advantage of leads in all five sets as he fell to a 4-6 6-4 7-5 4-6 6-4 defeat after three hours and 56 minutes.

The 29-year-old hung over the net in despair after dumping a final backhand into it, but he was able to see the bigger picture.

Evans said: "Playing under the roof was an amazing experience. I loved every minute of it out there, apart from losing.

"Last year I wasn't here playing the tournament, so I have to put everything into perspective. Obviously I was banned, as well. To think I would be playing under the roof, I have to look back and just be happy how the year's gone.

"There's plenty more tennis in the year. Probably going onto my best surface now, as well.

"You want to get through those matches. Sort of things dreams are made of, isn't it? To play late night under the roof, your home crowd, it would have been good just to pull through. I couldn't."

It was a contest full of tremendous shot-making, the power of the Sousa forehand against Evans' all-court talents, but the 29-year-old paid for not converting his early dominance and taking only seven of 24 break points.

While all the attention was on Andy Murray and Serena Williams' mixed doubles debut on Centre Court, real drama was being played out on Court One.

No one has won more matches on grass this season than Evans and, until a set and 4-2, he looked completely in control, Sousa throwing exasperated glances towards his box as everything he tried came back with interest.

Joao Sousa prevailed after a five-set thriller (Adam davy/PA)

But Evans was unable to get the crucial second break and Sousa hit back with a run of four straight games to take the second set.

The third was a similar story. This time Evans served for it but increasingly the match felt like it was on Sousa's racket.

Evans roused himself to force a decider played under the roof, the noise ramping up and the points becoming ever more extravagant, but ultimately it was Sousa who prevailed.

Evans felt his serve had let him down but insisted the 45-minute journey home was all he needed to put the loss behind him.

He said: "It has to be done, doesn't it? I can't go back and ruin everyone else's (evening). Just have to park it, then get on. It's not the end of the world. I lost. Joao was too good. It just hurts to lose that match really.

"Feeling sorry for myself is not going to do anything for anyone, is it? Just got to come through those matches if you want to be top 50, top 30. You've got to come through them. I was found wanting when I needed to find my serve in all five sets."

amp_article__364124 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-07-07 14:19:58:
html db last update - 2019-07-07 14:19:58 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Joao Sousa

Share this article now:
Read more about Joao Sousa Dan Evans Tennis
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Fulham125341717018
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle125341313018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham124351519-415
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .