Great Britain's Dan Evans continued his disappointing start to 2024 with a straight-sets loss to Roberto Carballes Baena in the second round of the Grand Prix Hassan II in Casablanca.
The 33-year-old bypassed the first round thanks to his third-placed seeding, but his hopes of glory were swiftly dashed by Baena in a 4-6 6-7[3] defeat in two hours and 19 minutes.
After ending his three-match losing sequence against Lorenzo Sonego in his Miami Open first-round clash, Evans returned to his underwhelming ways against Christopher Eubanks in the last 64 and now remains without a win against Baena at the top level.
The Spaniard had triumphed in their opening two ATP Tour battles in 2023 - which also coincidentally came on clay in Marrakech and Rome - and he benefitted from Evans's wastefulness to seal his place in the quarter-finals.
Evans only managed to convert one of his seven chances to break the world number 64, who backed up his first break of the match for a 4-2 lead in the second set, remarkably saving three break-back points after falling 40-0 down.
Evans immediately fought back from falling a break down at the same point in the second set, but he had to save six break points to even force a tie-breaker, where he was overwhelmed early on and could not find his rhythm.
© Reuters
However, the 33-year-old was not the only British male to bow out of a top-tier tournament on Thursday, as Jan Choinski's run at the Estoril Open came to a premature end with a second-round loss to Hubert Hurkacz.
The British qualifier earned his first ATP Tour triumph of the year against Brazil's Joao Fonseca in round one to earn a rematch with Hurkacz, whom he lost to in straight sets during the second round of Wimbledon 2023.
Choinski was not blown away by the Pole that day, and the world number 188 held his own in the Estoril last 16 too, but his efforts were not enough as Hurkacz succeeded 7-6[5] 6-4 in one hour and 47 minutes.
An off-colour Hurkacz actually fell a break down in the opening set, but Choinski could not hold his nerve while serving for the opener, offering the Pole a route back into the match despite valiantly beating away four break points in the 10th game.
Hurkacz subsequently edged a close tie-breaker before drawing first blood in the seventh game of the second set, and after squandering one more chance to prolong the contest while the second seed was serving for the match, Choinski bowed out.
The ever-powerful Hurkacz smashed 12 aces past Choinski to reach the quarter-finals, although Francesca Jones will be flying the flag high for Great Britain when she faces Laura Siegemund in the second round of the Copa Colsanitas during the night.
Ben Knapton
