Dan Evans crashes out of French Open in first round

Evans lost 6-4 6-4 6-4 to leave two British players in the singles main draws

Dan Evans, pictured, lost to Thanasi Kokkinakis in Paris (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Wire)

A frustrated Dan Evans was beaten in straight sets by Thanasi Kokkinakis in the opening round of the French Open.

Evans finally won his first match at Roland Garros last year but could not achieve the same result here, going down 6-4 6-4 6-4 to the powerful Australian in hot and lively conditions.

The British number two appeared to have turned the match around in the second set when he led 4-1 but, at 30-0 in the next game, he was faulted for his foot crossing the centre line.

Evans promptly lost four points in a row, slamming his water bottle to the ground in annoyance and earning a code violation, and he did not win another game in the set as the match slipped away.

He gave himself a chance by breaking Kokkinakis, the player beaten by Andy Murray from two sets down in the early hours of the morning at the Australian Open, to pull himself back to 4-4 in the third set.

But Evans promptly dropped serve again and Kokkinakis did not allow him a second chance.

The 33-year-old’s defeat means Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper are the only British players left in the singles main draws.

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