A fired up Dan Evans brought to an end his poor run of form with an inspired comeback 1-6 6-3 6-4 victory over Lorenzo Sonego to seal his place in the second round of the Miami Open.
Evans – who has endured a miserable record since tearing his calf in October – stormed back to take the final two sets having been dominated in the opener.
It was just his third victory of the season and the Brit can now look forward to a meeting with Christopher Eubanks.
“I’m really happy, it’s been a tragic year so far,” Evans told Sky Sports. “But yeah, it’s only tennis so we’ve got another chance.”
Having survived a scare in the opening game after saving a break point, an aggressive Sonego took full control of the first set with an almost flawless display.
With an unstoppable serve, the Italian struck numerous aces and winners in an all-round outstanding display, breaking his overwhelmed opponent twice to secure the first set 6-1.
Totally outplayed in the opener, Evans showed his resilience by taking his break point to lead 2-0, turning the match around with a much-improved performance to level.
An inspired Evans now had the momentum and secured another break in the opening game of the decider. Playing high quality tennis, Evans conjured up two double-break points but Sonego stood firm for a much-needed hold.
The nerves were tangible in a rollercoaster encounter as Sonego passed up the opportunity of a break back, as the Brit began to close in on victory.
To see out a huge victory, Evans saved his best for last to carve up two match points, converting the first to seal a gutsy win in two hours and 21 minutes.
Asked about his switch in tactics after a dismal first set, Evans said: “I had no choice. He was way better than me, and I wasn’t really moving him. I just made up my mind to start coming in and try to dictate and see where it got me.
“I served very well which made it a lot earlier to come in. It gave me a bit more of a chance to rally because he then started to miss a bit more so I didn’t have to take as many risks.”
Meanwhile, Felix Auger-Aliassime overcame Australian qualifier Adam Walton 7-5 6-4 in a rain-interrupted match to set up a tie with fourth seed Alexander Zverev.
The adverse weather conditions delayed the match for over half an hour after the opening game. When play finally resumed, a resilient Auger-Aliassime saved three set points on serve at 4-5 to take the opener, also edging the second set to wrap up victory in over two hours.
Elsewhere, Austria’s Sebastian Ofner defeated Japan’s Kei Nishikori – who was playing his first tournament since Atlanta last July – 6-3 6-4.
