- Battle of the Brits Premier league of Tennis kicks off on Sunday
- Andy Murray and Dan Evans headline eight matches, along with Heather Watson
- Eight matches on two courts + full details of how to watch
LONDON, UK – The third iteration of the popular Battle of the Brits format starts on Sunday with a headlining encounter between former World No. 1 Andy Murray and current British No. 1 Dan Evans.
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Battle of the Brits Premier League of Tennis
A little more low-key than the two previous iterations, but some of the brightest names in British tennis are set for another week of elite competition ahead of the revised season start schedules from both the tours.
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Day 1 Schedule
| Sunday 20 December (Starting at 10:00) | |
| Court 1 | Court 3 |
| Naomi Broady v Alicia Burnett | Jack Draper v Liam Broady |
| f/b Anton Matusevich v James Ward | f/b Heather Watson v Katy Dunne |
| f/b Beth Grey v Freya Christie | f/b Dan Evans v Andy Murray |
| f/b Jan Choinski v Aidan McHugh | f/b Emma Raducanu v Eden Silva |
Dan Evans v Andy Murray
No doubt the match of the day will be a clash of the British No. 1s. Andy Murray, with three Slam titles to his name as well as the mantle of World No. 1 takes on the incumbent, Dan Evans.
Somewhat surprisingly, prior to this year and the first Battle of the Brits, the pair have never met at a tour level. With Murray making his way back slowly from the additional injuries and adjustments following his second hip surgery, he fell to the younger Brit in the abbreviated format of two sets and a 10-point tie-break.
Murray started well, racing through the first set, before Evans equalised and closed out a hard-fought tie-break to get his first win over Murray 1-6, 6-3, 10-8.
Murray’s season proved to be quite frustrating. Despite being a solid cheer-leader in the second running of the Battle of the Brits and getting some match play in the doubles, he started well enough getting three rounds in at the Western and Southern Open, and a couple of rounds at the US Open but bowed out in his openers at Roland Garros and Cologne before calling time on his season early.
So, the fact he feels ready to get some match play in before the start of the season is more promising.
It seemed to be the other way round for Evans who, despite winning the first edition of the Battle of the Brits and making a name for himself as a vocal member of his Battle of the Brits team, his restart picked up pace slowly, with second round exits for the Cincinnati Masters before some good runs indoors reaching the semi-finals in Antwerp and Vienna. He bowed out in the first round of the Paris Masters as his season ended.
A lot of eyes will be watching Murray’s movement, and that is an area he can expect to be tested on thoroughly by the chirpy Evans. The current British No. 1 excels in coming forward and moving his opponents around to make up from the easier power some of the current players possesses.
In normal circumstances, this is exactly the kind of match-up that suited Murray down to the ground. A great returner, and a player who always relied on his speed around the court to complement his game, he showed he certainly caught Evans on the march earlier in the season in the first Battle of the Brits.
It will be a solid match-up to see where Murray is at with his fitness, and a stern test at the start of a tournament where Murray is looking to play again on the Tuesday.
It is a tough one to predict but the form has to go to the current top-dog in the British ranks, but we can expect Murray to take this to the distance.
Prediction: Evans in three sets.
How to Watch the Battle of the Brits Premier League of Tennis
The event will be streamed on LTA’s own social media channels (and YouTube) to allow tennis fans far and wide the chance to enjoy the matches.
| LTA YouTube | LTA Facebook |
Day 1 of the Battle of the Brits Premier League of Tennis starts at 10am GMT.
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