Dan Evans’ hopes of producing a magical run at the 2026 Australian Open were ended on Monday when he lost to Rei Sakamoto.
Evans, a former British number one, was defeated 6-1, 6-2 in the first round of qualifying by the junior Grand Slam champion.
The 35-year-old, one of the more outspoken players on the ATP Tour, struggled to impose his will throughout the contest; comprehensively beaten by the 19-year-old Japanese star.
Evans will now be cheering on his compatriots in qualifying – such as Arthur Fery and Jack Pinnington Jones – from the sidelines.
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Dan Evans struggles in Australian Open qualifying
Evans particularly struggled on serve against Sakamoto, hitting four double faults and only landing 48 per cent of his first serves.
In comparison, Sakamoto made 74 per cent of his first serves and did not hit a single double fault throughout the contest.
Sakamoto also engineered seven break-point opportunities on the Evans serve, winning five. Evans, meanwhile, had precisely zero break-point chances during the match.
Sakamoto will now face America’s Colton Smith in the second round of qualifying.
For Evans, his loss to Sakamoto represented yet another disappointment in Melbourne; Evans has failed to win a match at the event since 2023, when he reached the third round.
Dan Evans’ best Australian Open performance
In 2017, Dan Evans produced one of his best-ever Grand Slam performances when he reached the Australian Open fourth round.
Evans began the tournament with a straight sets win against Facundo Bagnis, before stunning seventh seed Marin Cilic in four sets, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-3.
In the third round, Evans defeated Australian star Bernard Tomic, 7-5, 7-6, 7-6.
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In the following round, Evans was beaten by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – the 2008 Australian Open finalist. The Frenchman defeated Evans 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, 6-4.
Evans has reached the fourth round of a Slam on one other occasion: the 2021 US Open.
