By Tony Fairbairn
- Dan Evans [29] def Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(3) 6-4 6-4
- Evans v Mikael Ymer | H2H: First meeting
PARIS, FRANCE – Dan Evans earned his first Roland Garros win on his 32nd birthday with victory over Francisco Cerundolo and will now play Mikael Ymer in the second round.
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Dan Evans [29] def Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(3) 6-4 6-4
Dan Evans celebrated his 32nd birthday in style after winning his maiden Roland Garros match at the expense of Francisco Cerundolo. Evans threatened the early break in the second game as he took advantage of the Argentinian’s weak first serves. However it was Cerundolo who broke to love in the third game to take the early break as Evans couldn’t consistently keep the aggression.
Evans responded well though and forced bold shot-making from Cerundolo with the Brit ensuring that he would create unforced errors. On his sixth break point Evans broke back straight away to level the set at 2-2. After that both players were ineffective on return as the heavy conditions lead to some impatient play from Evans in particular. The opening set would be decided on a tiebreak and some spectacular angles from Evans ensured he had control of the tiebreak and would take it 7-3 to take the opening set.
The world number 32 carried the momentum into the second set as the Brit raced into a double break lead and a 3-0 lead. Cerundolo’s grittiness and rally tolerance though would ensure that this match was not as straightforward as the Brit would have liked and the Argentinian earned one of the breaks back. Evans pushed to restore his double break lead but couldn’t find the finishing touches to some well-constructed points. In the end the Brit closed out the second set comfortably to take a two sets to love lead.
Just like the second set Evans made a powerful start and took a double break lead, winning the first three games and controlling the baseline rallies. However Evans’ lack of concentration and Cerundolo’s increase in level ensured that the double break advantage was gone and the set was back level at 3-3.
However Evans would break on two more occasions with some effective and smart returning. As the rain lashed down in Paris, Evans successfully served out the match, earning his first ever win at Roland Garros and a place in the second round.
Dan Evans [29] v Mikael Ymer H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Dan Evans [29] v Mikael Ymer | H2H: First Meeting |
| Roland Garros | Paris, France |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €84,000 |
| Fourth on Court 6, not before 4pm (3pm BST) | Amazon Prime Video <– Sign up for trial |
Evans now faces Swede Mikael Ymer in the second round who defeated James Duckworth in the last round.
Tale of the Tape – Key Stats (2022 – Clay)
| H2H: | Dan Evans (WR 32) | Mikael Ymer (WR 95) |
| Tournament Previous Best | R1 (2017, 2019, 2020, 2021) | R3 (2021) |
| 1st Serve % | 67.1 | 60.8 |
| Service Games Won % | 72.6 | 65.1 |
| Break Points Saved % | 63.1 | 53.2 |
| 2nd Serve Return Points Won % | 50.2 | 46.3 |
| Break Points Converted % | 46.7 | 36.2 |
Evans has the better statistics heading into this match but Ymer’s confidence on the surface won’t be underestimated heading into this match.
Playing Styles and Prediction
Heading into Roland Garros Ymer was on a seven match losing streak and would have been relieved to end the poor run in the opening round. The Swede can be dangerous on clay and has good movement mixed with power to trouble opponents on clay and construct effective points.
Evans look to establish his dominance early and continue his consistent aggression from the Cerundolo match. The Brit will need to be patient in order to create opportunities but a mix of slice, power and angels will be the key in getting another good win. This is a winnable match for the Brit and will be looking to take advantage of an opportunity to reach the last 32 here for the first time.
Prediction: Evans in four sets.
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