By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, April 16, 2021
Dan Evans fought off 15 of 17 break points subduing David Goffin 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to reach his first Masters semifinal at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
Photo credit: Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters
Red clay was more than a slippery slope for Dan Evans.
Slow dirt was career-long dead end for the British No. 1.
More: Tsitsipas Questions Djokovic's Injury Claim
Skidding into Monte-Carlo on a 10-match clay-court losing slide, Evans has turned the red clay into a revival road.
A gritty Evans fought off 15 of 17 break points subduing David Goffin 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 charging into his first Masters semifinal at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The Birmingham-born Evans played both bold and creative tennis becoming the first Brit to reach a Masters semifinal since Andy Murray at the 2016 Rolex Paris Masters.
Continuing the best Masters ride of his career, Evans will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in a battle of one-handed backhands for a spot in Sunday's final.
The fourth-seeded Tsitsipas held a 7-5 lead when 21-year-old Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina retired from his first career Masters quarterfinal.
Backing up the best win of his career, a superb straight-sets shocker over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic yesterday, Evans shifted spins and mixed tactics masterfully facing break-point pressure with guts and aggression. Evans saved all seven break points he faced in the final set.
The 30-year-old Evans arrived in Monte-Carlo with an ignominious 4-13 career clay-court record. He's matched that win mark this week defeating 2019 finalist Dusan Lajovic, Miami Open champion Hubert Hurkacz, two-time champion Djokovic and 2017 semifinalist Goffin.
If you're a fan of old-school tennis and straight up in your face feistiness you have to love Evans' unlikely run.
The man sporting the tattooed serving arm has branded his style to unsettling effect. After dropping the opening set today, Evans responded by stepping closer to the baseline, taking the attack to the accurate counter-puncher and throwing everything at Goffin, including serve-and-volleys down break points, the chip and charge, slick drop shot winners and creative court craft.
It all came together for Evans, who was 0-11 lifetime vs. Top 10 opponents entering Monte-Carlo and has now defeated three straight Top 16-ranked opponents.
Somewhere, Tim Henman must be smiling. Nineteen years ago, Henman played serve-and-volley and employed the slice backhand effectively as Evans has done this week during his run to the Monte-Carlo semifinals that included victories over Guillermo Coria, Nicolas Massu, Juan Ignacio Chela and Thomas Johanasson.
The mix of Evans' varied sliced speeds—he can knife it deep or play no-pace slice—combined with his skill cracking the running forehand makes him unsettling opponent, particularly amid an unruly breeze.
"He was mixing it up a lot. He was making me play," Goffin said. "He was slicing, having a very mixed game. Up to 7-5 and beginning of the second set, I lost a stupid game.
"Every time he fought back. He was able to change his game. He knows how to do everything. He stays in there and he makes the necessary changes to dominate me. It was a real battle."
Despite serving under 40 percent for much of the opening set, Evans was effective and decisive backing up his serve.
When Evans served for the set, Goffin made his move.
Anticipating the Briton's slice backhand, Goffin quickly stepped around a backhand and curled a forehand into the corner for triple break point.
Erasing two break points, Evans pulled the trigger prematurely on the third sailing a topspin backhand down the line long putting Goffin level after 10 games.
The 11th-seeded Belgian hit a half-swing backhand pass down the line for set point, but Evans whipped the wide serve to save it. On the second set point, a streaking Goffin intercepted a strike down the line and lifted a deep topspin forehand crosscourt coaxing the error.
Patience was pivotal for Goffin, who didn't panic running through four straight games in snatching a 62-minute opening set that had been in Evans' hands.
Adopting more aggressive court positioning fueled Evans' all-court response.
The 33rd-ranked Briton teased Goffin with a series of off-pace underspin backhands tempting the Belgian to go for more. Goffin took the bait and lifted a drive long as Evans earned the early break and a 2-1 lead.
Both men are quick around the court, can create clever angles and share sculptors' feel. Evans showed it all reading a Goffin slice and moving in for a sneak attack volley winner.
A gritty Evans saved two break points in the sixth game, including a brief admonishment of the chair umpire, who seemed to select the wrong mark calling an apparent Evans ace out. That transgression fired up the Brit who responded holding for 4-2.
Elevating his game at the end of the opening set, Goffin fell into a sloppy sink hold in the latter stages of the second. Goffin dumped a drop shot into the bottom of the net to face set point then double-faulted away the set as Evans forced a decider after one hour, 46 minutes.
After defeating Djokovic yesterday, Evans said he envisioned attacking net more against Goffin today. Facing a triple-break point deficit in the third game, Evans met the moment moving forward. Attacking, Evans tomahawked a smash to save the third break point charging through five straight points holding for 2-1.
The unpredictability, sharp court sense and Evans' racquet skills to play any shot from virtually any position on court shrinks the safe space for opponents.
"He has a lot of talent. He's able to change tactics when he needs to," Goffin said of Evans. "He's very smart, very precise. When he feels down, he moves forward, makes shorter rallies. He can feel when you need to make the opponent play or when you need to make the points shorter.
"Even on clay he's moving very well. He has good legs. He found solutions today on clay. It's tough to play against him. On paper he's not a clay-courter, but today the clay was heavy, the balls were not bouncing high, and he was able to do his own cooking. This is why he was difficult to move around."
Down a break point at 2-3, Goffin went big and bold banging a forehand down the line, which TV replay showed landing long. Staring down another break point, Goffin drilled a forehand winner down the opposite sideline to deny it. Capping that stirring stand sliding an ace down the middle, Goffin evened after six games.
Playing in the face of a spiking wind, Goffin amped up his aggression and earned three break points in the ninth game. With a mix of aggression and scrambling, a gritty Evans saved all three break points. Carving a clever drop shot for his fourth break point, Goffin had a good look at a backhand return on an Evans serve-and-volley, but sailed the shot wide.
Dancing with danger, Evans high-stepped through a tough nine-minute hold for 5-4. By then, the spirited Evans had denied 15 of 17 break points, including erasing all seven break points in the final set.
Seeing the finish line, Evans did not stumble drawing successive forehand errors to reach his first Masters semifinal in two hours, 41 minutes.
No time to celebrate as Evans was scheduled to play the doubles quarterfinal later on Friday.
It's exciting to see Evans' brand of attack and defense play out on the salmon-colored surface and inspiring to think it's never too late in life to overcome challenges on and off court.
The stubborn Evans was unranked in April of 2018 after serving a drug suspension for a positive cocaine test, took responsibility for his transgression and has come back more determined and dynamic than ever.
Evans captured his first career title at Melbourne-2 in February and now aims to sustain his spring revival with a trip to his first Masters final on the line.