British No 2 Dan Evans left to rue missed opportunities after second round defeat by defending champion Rafael Nadal at the Rogers Cup
- Evans pushed Nadal in their first meeting before going down in straight sets
- The Spaniard won 7-6, 6-4 in a second-round match disrupted by rain
- Top seed and champion Nadal faces Guido Pella in the last 16 at Rogers Cup
Britain’s Dan Evans was left to rue missed opportunities after losing a hard-fought contest with defending champion Rafael Nadal in the second round of the Rogers Cup in Montreal.
Evans broke Nadal in the first game of a weather-affected match and also led 5-2 in the first-set tie-break, but was unable to press home his advantage against a rusty opponent playing his first match since losing to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Nadal won six of the last seven points in the tie-break and overcame a rain delay of almost two hours after taking a 2-0 lead in the second set, the top seed eventually securing a 7-6, 6-4 victory to improve his record in Canada to 35-8.
Dan Evans pushed Rafael Nadal in their first meeting before going down in straight sets
The Spaniard won 7-6, 6-4 in a second-round match disrupted by rain on Wednesday
The 33-year-old Spaniard is seeking a fifth Canadian Masters 1000 title, with his wins evenly split between Montreal (2005 and 2013) and Toronto (2008 and 2018).
Surprisingly Nadal has never defended a hard-court title and he got off to a slow start by losing his opening service game before returning from a short rain delay to break Evans and get back on level terms at 3-3.
Evans saved two set points on his serve in the 10th game and held his nerve to force a tie-break after another untimely stoppage for rain when serving at 5-6 down, but it was Nadal’s turn to save two set points in the tie-break and the left-hander sealed it when Evans pushed a forehand wide.
Nadal maintained the momentum with a break of serve in the opening game of the second set and although Evans broke back to level at 3-3, the world number 53 immediately lost his serve again and Nadal eventually secured victory more than four and a half hours after the match began.