Wimbledon 2018: Dan Evans keeps his dream alive with win over Ilya Ivashka in first round of qualifying

Evans beat Belarussian Ilya Ivashka 6-4 6-4 in sweltering conditions at Roehampton, putting him two victories away from the main draw at SW19

Dan Evans kept his Wimbledon dream alive with a win in the first round of qualifying.

Evans beat Belarussian Ilya Ivashka 6-4 6-4 in sweltering conditions at Roehampton, putting him two victories away from the main draw at SW19.

The former British number two, who has been ranked inside the top 50, was not given a wild card by the All England Club as a matter of "principle" following his 12-month drugs ban, despite that ending over two months ago and him being the best performing British player since.

“I played well and it was a tough match against one of the better guys in the draw,” said Evans, who needs two more wins to qualify for the main draw.

“I missed tennis a lot and it's just good to be out again. It's great to be back on court,” he added.

Evans will face either Germany's Matthias Bachinger or Australia's Marc Polmans in his second qualifying match.