TNT Sports
Jack Draper wins BMW Open opener, Dan Evans suffers first-round loss at Barcelona Open
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Published 15/04/2024 at 18:06 GMT+1
British tennis player Dan Evans suffered a first-round loss at the Barcelona Open at the hands of American Brandon Nakashima, who beat him 7-6(5) 6-2 in straight sets at Real Club de Tenis on Monday. It was Evans' third consecutive opening-round defeat on clay. The 22-year-old Jack Draper beat Vit Kopriva 6-1 5-7 6-4 in the opening round of the BMW Open in Munich.
Daniel Evans of Great Britain plays a backhand against Brandon Nakashima of the United States during First Round of Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2024 at Real Club De Tenis Barcelona on April 15, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain.
Image credit: TNT Sports
American Brandon Nakashima advanced to the second round of the Barcelona Open by beating Dan Evans 7-6(5) 6-2 at Real Club de Tenis Barcelona on Monday.
Evans' abysmal 2024 form continued, losing to Nakashima in just over two hours after the American dominated the second set.
The 33-year-old started strong before Nakashima raced to a 4-1 lead in the first set as Evans routinely struggled with his returns.
The Brit did well to tie things up at 6-6 and push Nakashima to a tie-break, but as it had done so for much of the game, the American's strong cross-court forehand saw him best Evans and take the first set.
Nakashima then produced a dominant second set and made short work of Evans to win 6-2. Evans had taken a 2-1 lead and controlled the early exchanges, but Nakashima took over and the Brit was unable to win another game in the match.
Nakashima, ranked No 87, will play second seed Andrey Rublev next. It is another first-round defeat for Evans after losing to Sebastian Ofner in the opening round in Monte Carlo.
Draper battles to win in Munich
At the BMW Open, Jack Draper beat Vit Kopriva 6-1 5-7 6-4, after the match was delayed multiple times due to rain.
Draper stormed the first set in just 28 minutes, playing confidently and fluidly and the Czech was unable to keep up.
Kopriva had warmed up by the second set and the two tussled for control. The 22-year-old Brit weathered a storm from Kopriva, but was unable to pull away and slipped up in the latter moments of the second set to hand it to Kopriva.
Draper quickly shut down his opponent's momentum with a strong return game, edging to a 3-1 lead in the final set before pulling away to win 6-4.
It was an improved performance from Draper after losing to Polish player Hubert Hurkacz in an incredibly tight first-round clash at Monte Carlo in early April.
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