Dan Evans' brilliant run at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters came to an end with a comprehensive defeat by world number five Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Evans was facing a former Masters finalist for the fifth successive match having beaten Dusan Lajovic, Hubert Hurkacz, Novak Djokovic and David Goffin to reach a semi-final at this level for the first time.
But, unlike his previous opponents, Tsitsipas had no problem coping with the variety in the Evans game and he eased to a 6-2 6-1 victory.
Dan Evans' epic run in the Monte-Carlo singles ends
Dan lost out to Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-1 #BackTheBrits 🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/9KAbwWsFES
— LTA (@the_LTA) April 17, 2021
It was a third heavy defeat for the British number one against his Greek opponent, who piled constant pressure on the Evans serve.
It has nevertheless been a superb week for the 30-year-old, who will equal his career-high ranking of 26 on Monday having proved to himself and the rest of the tennis world that he can be a threat to the best on clay.
Evans still has a chance to reach the final in the doubles, where he and Neal Skupski were due to face top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah later on Saturday.
