Dan Evans follows stunning Novak Djokovic upset with three-set triumph over David Goffin

[ASFN Admin]

Dan Evans might be well advised to make the short walk from Monte Carlo Country Club to Monaco’s famous casino, because everything he touches right now is turning to gold. After Thursday’s career-best win over world No1 Novak Djokovic, Evans faced David Goffin on Friday in a high-quality quarter-final. The two of them traded blows until they were coated in red clay granules, and resembled the survivors of a mid-Western dust storm. Goffin had all the pedigree, including three previous appearances at this stage of the Monte Carlo Masters. But it was Evans who dragged himself over the line. He let out a mighty roar when Goffin’s final forehand flew wide, concluding his 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory after 2hr 41min. “I was probably a little lucky to come through,” said Evans afterwards, as he spoke to Amazon Prime’s studio pundits. He might have been thinking about all the break points he saved: 15 in total, from Goffin’s 17 opportunities. This was a triumph of willpower and positive thinking as much as courtcraft. And perhaps the most impressive detail is that Evans arrived in Monaco on a losing streak of four tight matches he could have won, including a psychologically crushing reverse against 19-year-old Italian Lorenzo Musetti in which he had held four match points.

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