Dan Evans’ Wimbledon run ended by Sebastian Korda as Novak Djokovic marches on

AFP via Getty Images

Dan Evans’ Wimbledon ambitions ended for another year after being knocked out by one of the most exciting players on the ATP Tour in Sebastian Korda.

The son of former Australian Open champion Petr, the 20-year-old now has the chance to emulate his father’s Wimbledon best of a last eight appearance at Wimbledon on Monday on what will be his 21st birthday.

Just five days after his sister Nelly won golf’s PGA Championship, it was the latest sporting achievement from a remarkable family.

After the win, Korda, hailed as the next big hope of American tennis said: “My dad won a Grand Slam, my sister won her first Major and is the No1 golfer in the world. It’s super inspiring, it’s crazy.”

For Evans, it was a case of what might have been in a match that ebbed and flowed.

Set one deservedly went to Korda before Evans levelled, Korda again had the ascendancy in the third and the fourth looked to be heading Evans’ way once more with a break up. But he was broken twice more and, with it, went the match 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4.

It left him pondering what might have been, a litany of break points he could not convert as his opponent’s big serve repeatedly came to the rescue.

Wimbledon Tennis Championships 2021

Wimbledon 2021 - Day Twelve - The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
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Novak Djokovic’s imperious march at Wimbledon continued unabated with another straight-sets victory against Denis Kudla.

But the American qualifier, who had played second fiddle for much of the third-round match, pushed the world No1 to the tightest of third set tiebreaks.

Despite Djokovic double faulting on both of his opening services of that tiebreak and Kudla having a set point, the world No1 rallied for a 6-4 6-3 7-6 victory, meaning he is yet to drop a set since his first against Britain’s Jack Draper in the opening round.

The disparity between the players was abundantly clear between the two players before they even walked out on court – Djokovic boasting 84 ATP Tour titles, 19 of them Grand Slams, to Kudla’s zero.

AFP via Getty Images

In addition, Djokovic had never lost to a player lower than 75th in the world at Wimbledon and yet his world No114 opponent stayed in the match despite the often strangling nature of Djokovic’s play.

It was a second successive meeting between the pair at Wimbledon having faced each other in the second round in 2019. The match was much less one-sided and yet the result still the same.

Afterwards, Djokovic said: “I have to give credit to Denis for playing really well. From the beginning of the third set it was really close. I wish him all the best. He’s played a great three sets and he was a bit unlucky in the tiebreak of the third. I somehow managed to find a way to win.”

It means that Djokovic is one match away from reaching a 11 Wimbledon quarter-final in 12 attemps, and he remains the overwhelming favourite for a sixth Wimbledon title come the end of next week.

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