British number one Dan Evans ended a five-match losing run by beating Italian qualifier Salvatore Caruso in the opening round of the European Open.
Evans, whose last victory was on 1 September at the US Open, won 6-2 3-6 6-3 in Antwerp.
He will play American world number 63 Frances Tiafoe in the second round.
Britain’s Cameron Norrie also progressed to the second round with a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) win over another qualifier, Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori.
Norrie, the British number three, will play fifth seed Milos Raonic or former British player Aljaz Bedene next.
Evans had lost in the first round of all three clay-court tournaments he had played this season and was beaten in the first round in St Petersburg last week by Stan Wawrinka.
British players have won the title in Antwerp in the past two years, with Kyle Edmund claiming his first ATP Tour title in 2018 and Andy Murray winning last year.
Evans changing coaches
Evans, 30, has announced he is looking for a new coach for next year.
His successful partnership with Mark Hilton will come to an end, by mutual agreement, when Hilton returns to work full-time for the Lawn Tennis Association at the end of the season.
During the past 12 months – their second spell together – Evans has reached a career-high ranking of 28th.
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
Source link
