By Tony Fairbairn
- Dan Evans def Brandon Nakashima 6-3 3-6 6-4
- Evans v Stefanos Tsitsipas [5] | H2H: Tsitsipas leads 3-0
PARIS, FRANCE – Dan Evans edged past Brandon Nakashima to reach the second round in Paris-Bercy where he faces Stefanos Tsitsipas.
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Dan Evans def Brandon Nakashima 6-3 3-6 6-4
Dan Evans edged into the second round in Paris after a tough win over the in-form American Brandon Nakashima. Evans was in good form himself and reacted well to the fast hard courts in Paris-Bercy as the Brit broke early on with some powerful baseline play which saw Nakashima reel off the unforced errors as Evans took a 2-1 lead.
The American responded to the early deficit well as he found his range on serve but he couldn’t threaten Evans’ serve as the Brit took control of the match with his first serve. Evans managed to construct effortless winners with use of the slice and mix of deep and powerful groundstrokes. The Brit’s manoeuvring of the American once again was effective in the ninth game as he broke Nakashima for a second time to seal the opening set 6-3.
However this match was never going to be easy for Evans with Nakashima being one of the most consistent and solid players on the tour. That proved to be the case in the second set with the American taking advantage of a dip in performance from the Brit. Evans was missing his first serves and Nakashima’s consistency saw him take advantage for a 2-1 lead.
Nakashima continued to be a thorn in Evans’ side towards the end of the set with the American taking advantage of some rash decision making from the Brit to threaten the double break lead. Impressive serve and volleying saw Evans nullify the Nakashima threat to hold for 4-3. However the American would get the double break advantage as he broke for the set to level the match at one set all.
The final set saw both players play their best tennis at the same time with this match testing both players’ consistency. After a comfortable opening few games it would be Nakashima to blink first as Evans increased the intensity and quality of play to take a 3-2 lead in the deciding set.
Nakashima fended off a wave of pressure from Evans to hold and stay within touching distance of the Brit. In the end though it was Evans who was more clinical at the right time and the Brit survived a tough test to complete victory and move into the second round.
Dan Evans v Stefanos Tsitsipas [5] H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Dan Evans v Stefanos Tsitsipas [5] | H2H: Tsitsipas leads 3-0 |
| ATP Paris-Bercy | Paris, France |
| Indoor Hard | Prize Money: €39,070 |
| First on Court Central (10:00 GMT) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Evans will now face fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round with the Greek winning all three previous meetings.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022)
| H2H: | Dan Evans (WR 26) | Stefanos Tsitsipas (WR 5) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R1 (2020) | Quarter-Final (2019) |
| 1st Serve % | 61.8 | 63 |
| Service Games Won % | 77.9 | 84.6 |
| Break Points Saved % | 59 | 64.2 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 51.2 | 49.5 |
| Break Points Converted % | 42.7 | 41.7 |
Evans will need to be more aggressive on serve if he wants to win this match as his serving statistics for the season narrowly trail Tsitsipas’.
Playing Styles and Prediction
Tsitsipas has regained some of his form over the last few weeks but will be disappointed with his performances in the Astana and Stockholm final defeats to Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune respectively. Now Tsitsipas looks to build a final bot of momentum ahead of the Nitto ATP Finals.
Evans will need to have a good serving day and be as proactive as possible by testing Tsitsipas’ confidence early. Meanwhile the Greek will look to carve out the angles and move Evans out of position as much as possible. This will be a tough match as this match does not suit him at all but if he can take the returns early and cut off the angles then this could be a close contest.
Prediction: Tsitsipas in three sets.
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