[ad_1]
Britain’s Dan Evans suffered another early exit on clay as he suffered a 6-1 6-4 drubbing at the hands of Sebastian Ofner at the Monte Carlo Masters on Monday.
Evans’ woes on clay continued as he fell to Austrian world No 44 Ofner after 68 minutes at the prestigious ATP 1000 event on the Côte d’Azur.
The British No 3, who was beaten in his first match on the dirt by Roberto Carballes Baena at the Grand Prix Hassan II in Marrakesh last week, was outplayed by the big-swinging Ofner.
Evans had break point chances in the opening game of the match but after failing to take any of them, he went on to drop four games in a set which he went on to lose 6-1.
He improved in the next set but again dropped serve early on and was chasing from then on.
With just under an hour and 10 minutes on the clock, Ofner was serving for the match but offered Evans a glimmer of hope with a break point chance following a stunning 26-shot rally.
However, the 27-year-old Austrian saved it and regained his composure to seal his place in the second round against Alexander Zverev.
Evans has won just three out of 11 matches he has played in what has been a disappointing start to the season.
He is yet to win back-to-back matches on tour in 2024, losing in the first round and second round respectively at the recent ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami before going out early in Marrakesh.
Delgado: Disappointing match for Evans
“He had those break points in the first game of the match and again in the last one, and had he taken the last one the game could have gone either way. You could see Ofner just slightly tightening up,” said Andy Murray’s former coach Jamie Delgado on Sky Sports Tennis.
“Ofner served great and in all honesty he deserved the win, he played a good controlled match and dictated play.”
Tale of the Tape
“Dan’s second serve points won picked up in the second set but it was a big problem for him winning the baseline rallies,” said Delgado.
“He never really got into Ofner’s service game. He was a deserved winner.”
The clay court season continues at the Monte Carlo Masters this week – live on Sky Sports Tennis from 10am, Tuesday – one of the biggest tournaments in the lead-up to the second Grand Slam of the season, the French Open, which starts on May 20.
How to watch play on Sky Sports Tennis
Sky Sports has confirmed a new home for tennis in the UK and Ireland, with Sky Sports Tennis on Sky and NOW, making tennis content available all day, every day for fans.
Sky Sports will broadcast more live tennis than anywhere else, bringing over 4,000 matches from more than 80 tournaments a year on the ATP and WTA Tours, as well as full coverage of the US Open, all exclusively live.
Non-Sky subscribers can stream live matches with a NOW Sports Day and Month Membership, via Sky Sports Tennis, Sky Sports Arena, and Sky Sports Mix channels.
For further access, fans will also be able to follow their favourite players and gain deeper insights from both Tours via Sky Sports News, the Sky Sports app, on SkySports.com and via Sky Sports social channels.
Ad content | Stream Sky Sports on NOW
Stream Sky Sports live with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instant access to live action from the Premier League, EFL, F1, England Cricket, Tennis and so much more.
Get Sky Sports on WhatsApp!
You can now start receiving messages and alerts for the latest breaking sports news, analysis, in-depth features and videos from our dedicated WhatsApp channel!
Watch the WTA and ATP Tours throughout 2024 on Sky Sports Tennis. Stream Sky Sports Tennis and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership. No contract, cancel anytime.
[ad_2]