Dan Evans in the first round of the 2022 ATP Monte Carlo Masters, Monaco
Dan Evans in the first round of the 2022 ATP Monte Carlo Masters, Monaco | (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Tennis | Madrid Open 2022 | Evans stops clay court rot with win over Delbonis, faces Bautista Agut next

By Tony Fairbairn

  • Dan Evans def Federico Delbonis 6-3 6-4
  • Evans v Roberto Bautista Agut [17]| H2H: First meeting
MADRID, SPAIN – Dan Evans finally won a clay court match in Madrid with a straight sets win over Federico Delbonis and now faces Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round.

 

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Dan Evans def Federico Delbonis 6-3 6-4

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Dan Evans finally won a clay court match after defeating Federico Delbonis in straight sets in Madrid. It was the Brit who struck first as his defensive qualities forced unforced errors out of the inconsistent Argentinian. The Brit took a 3-0 love lead and remained aggressive throughout the opening set as the faster clay courts suited Evans’ style of play.

Delbonis, who is struggling for form on his favourite surface, slowly played his way into the match on serve as he constructed effective points. However on return there were too many unforced errors and not enough authority and power to trouble the Brit. Evans comfortably closed out the opening set in 45 minutes.

In the second set Evans once again came out of the blocks quickly as his mixture of slice and power was too much for Delbonis to handle as he broke for a 2-1 lead. However Evans was clearly taken aback by how easy this was all becoming and started to lose concentration as the set went on which the Argentinian capitalised. Some aggressive groundstrokes and well-worked points saw Delbonis break back for 3-3.

However it was Evans’ day as he secured a comfortable break in the ninth game for a 5-4 lead and closed out the match to seal a fantastic clay-court win and a place in the second round.

 

Dan Evans v Roberto Bautista Agut [17] H2H & Match Fundamentals

Dan Evans v Roberto Bautista Agut [17] H2H: First meeting
Madrid Open Madrid, Spain
Clay (O) Prize Money: €48,655
First on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium, at 12pm (11am BST). Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial

Evans now faces Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round who only lost two games in his opener against Jenson Brooksby.

 

Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022)

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H2H: Dan Evans (WR 35) Roberto Bautista Agut (WR 19)
Tournament Previous Best R3 (2021) Semi-Final (2014)
1st Serve % 61.4 67.2
Service Games Won % 75.7 78.6
Break Points Saved % 50.5 56.7
2nd Serve Return Points Won % 47.7 56.1
Break Points Converted % 49.5 45.9

Bautista Agut’s consistency shows in the stats but Evans’ break point conversion rate is something the Spaniard will be wary of heading into this match.

 

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Playing Styles and Prediction

Bautista Agut has had to overcome injuries this season and hasn’t really clicked into gear since Doha. The Spaniard will be looking to get back to winning ways in Madrid this week on a surface where he has had good results in the past.

Evans will need to play an aggressive match and dictate the points from the back of the court consistently. Bautista Agut will look to be powerful and authoritative in his approach to prevent Evans from controlling the match on his terms. It will be an intriguing match but Bautista Agut’s clay court IQ could be the difference here.

Prediction: Bautista Agut in three sets.

 

 

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