American star Ben Shelton heaped praise on Dan Evans after dumping him out of the Mexican Open earlier today.
After the match, Shelton was speaking to BBC Sport.
So, what did Shelton have to say about his match with Evans? Let’s take a closer look…
What Ben Shelton said about Great Britain star Dan Evans
Well, it was a hard-fought match for the American but he eventually prevailed in three sets.
Shelton came through 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 to reach the last 16 of the competition in Acapulco.
The world number 17 was always the favourite going into the match but this was a strong showing from Evans.
After the match, Shelton paid tribute to his opponent after a pretty epic tussle.
He told BBC Sport: “It was definitely a really tricky match for me.
“Dan is a guy that I know well, we have a lot of banter in the locker room and he’s is a guy whose game presents a lot of challenges.
“So, to be able to come out of this first match here with a win after losing the first set is a big accomplishment for me.”
Evans can take heart from latest defeat
This will be one that Evans looks back on as a bit of a missed opportunity.
The Great Britain player served for the match in the third set after saving three match points.
It was a game that seemed to have everything that in terms of entertainment value was one that was hard to look away from.
Evans hasn’t made a great start to 2024 and was beaten in the first round by Italian player Lorenzo Sonego at the Australian Open.
The Birmingham-born player is down at number 42 in the world having previously been 21st in August of last year.
Evans has never been further than the fourth round of a major and he will keep striving for some luck on that front.
It’s nice to hear Shelton praise the 33-year-old and hopefully, Evans can claim some wins during the clay and grass season this year.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
