Chris Oddo| @thefanchild | Wednesday, June 25, 2025
Dan Evans Roland-Garros said one of his biggest goals this season is to return to the top 100 so he can be part of the Grand Slam.
He doesn’t need to be ranked next week at Wimbledon, where he was awarded wildcards, but Evans took a step at Eastbourne on Wednesday, beating American Tommy Paul 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
After that, the 35-year-old Briton (formerly No. 21 World No. 170) won the celebration in the quarterfinal tied with US Jenson Brooksby.
Evans has reached his first quarterfinals since 2023, with a convincing performance in the world’s No. 13 in two hours and 13 minutes. He wasted his rest advantage in the third set but quickly resumed the game before finishing the game with a 0-15 four-pointer in the final game.
“To be honest, I did a good job in the game,” Evans said after becoming the fifth-largest quarterfinal in tournament history. “The second one at the second start thinking about the finish line is a single love, and that’s a mistake.
This means! 🥹An emotional Dan Evans defeated Tommy Paul in his face #lexuseastbourneopen Quarter Finals pic.twitter.com/dzu539g6lo
– Tennis TV (@tennistv) June 25, 2025
“I just said to myself, ‘Enjoy this, that’s what it means. I played better tennis when I stopped worrying about what he was doing.”
Evans almost burst into tears as he spoke to the crowd after the victory. Today’s win, he has reached 154 in the live rankings and will be close to 140 in a win over Brooksby on Thursday.
“I know I did the job, too,” he said. “Once I had the confidence, I knew the job was in the bank.”
“A good friend said, ‘If you’re ready and the door is open, you’ll walk through it, if not, not.” I’ve had no more real words in the past few weeks. ”
