Former British No. 1 Dan Evans has crashed out of the Australian Open qualifiers with a first-round loss to Japan’s Rei Sakamoto.
The 35-year-old appeared to have trouble serving and lost 6-1, 6-2.
He recorded four double faults and had a success rate of only 48% on his first serve, compared to Sakamoto’s 74%.
Evans performed slightly better on his return, earning no break points, while Sakamoto had five of seven break opportunities.
It is the second year in a row that Evans has been eliminated in the first round of qualifying in Melbourne. The only Grand Slam main draw he achieved in 2025 was at Wimbledon, where he received a wildcard.
Dan Evans eliminated in first round of Australian Open qualifying
There was more good news for British troops in Melbourne on Monday. Arthur Perry He advanced by defeating Australian Edward Winter 6-2 to 6-4.
George Lofhagen He advanced to the second round after winning a hard-fought 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-2) victory over Germany’s Justin Engel.
jack pinnington jones and Jay Clark I followed Evans out. Pinnington Jones lost in straight sets to Belgium’s Gilles Arnaud Bailly, while Clarke failed to win in sets against Brazil’s Gustavo Heide.
Norrie is making his way through Auckland.
Elsewhere in England Cam Nori Won the opening match at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
Norrie beat French qualifier Hugo Gaston 6-3 6-4 to set up a last-16 meeting with either Roberto Bautista Agut or Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Norrie is Auckland’s fifth seed thanks to his world number 28 ranking and will be the British male No 1 at the Australian Open in the absence of the injured Jack Draper.
Norrie dominated the contest with a powerful serve against Gaston on Monday, landing 69 percent of his first serves and winning 88 percent of those points.
The 30-year-old created eight breakaway opportunities and took five of them to seal victory in one hour and 20 minutes.
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