Vesely bt Bedene 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-3
Rafael Nadal beats Haase 6-1 6-4 6-3
Djokovic beats Sousa in straight sets
Muguruza through to women's third round
Defending French Open champion Garbine Muguruza survived a scare to beat world number 99 Anett Kontaveit 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 6-2 and reach the third round.
The fourth seed was a set and a break down but recovered to win in two hours and eight minutes.
The 23-year-old will now play Yulia Putintseva, seeded 27.
The women's draw is wide open, especially after world number one Angelique Kerber and British hope Johanna Konta went out in round one.
"I was expecting this kind of match because I played her recently, and I saw her a little bit in the few tournaments before," Muguruza said of Kontaveit.
"She was just playing good, a lot of confidence. I knew it was going to be a battle out there."
Watched by sister Serena - who will not play again this season because of her pregnancy - Venus Williams easily beat Kurumi Nara 6-3 6-1 to move into round three for the first time in five years.
At 36 she is the oldest woman to reach the third round at the French Open since Billie Jean King in 1982.
Slovak Dominika Cibulkova suffered a shock defeat by Tunisia's world number 114 Ons Jabeur to become the third top-10 seed in the women's draw to be knocked out. The sixth seed lost 6-4 6-3.
Petra Kvitova's return to action came to an end in the second round as the Czech lost 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) to American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
Caroline Wozniacki, the Danish 12th seed, produced an impressive performance to beat Canadian Francoise Abanda 6-0 6-0 in 52 minutes.
French 13th seed Kristina Mladenovic reached the third round with a comfortable 6-2 6-3 win against Sara Errani of Italy.
In the men's draw, another home favourite, 12th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, was given only the briefest of reprieves as he lost 7-5 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 to Argentine Renzo Olivo.
The match was postponed from Tuesday because of bad light and Olivo needed only one game to turn his overnight advantage into victory. He will now play Briton Kyle Edmund in the second round.
Austrian sixth seed Dominic Thiem was broken just once in a 7-5 6-1 6-3 win over Italian Simone Bolelli.
Bulgaria's 11th seed Grigor Dimitrov is also through after beating Spain's Tommy Robredo 6-3 6-4 7-5.
Wednesday, 31 May 2017
Tuesday, 30 May 2017
2017 French Open Day 3
World No 1 Murray wins 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0
Scot will play Martin Klizan of Slovakia in round two
After briefly losing his way, top seed Andy Murray battled his way past Andrey Kuznetsov to take his place in round two of the French Open, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.
It was not a perfect start by the world No1, who began the match strongly only to go walkabout about in the second set, but he finished the match with real momentum, visibly growing in belief and authority. After an indifferent build-up to Roland Garros, Murray can look forward to a second round encounter with Slovakia’s Martin Klizan with improved confidence.
“I started to feel a little bit better as the match went on but I expected a tough match because he’s played well during the clay-court season,” said Murray.
“He goes for his shots, plays very aggressive and hits the ball pretty flat, so he takes your time away. “
If Murray went into the match with questions surrounding his form and fitness – he had won only four clay-court matches this year, and has been variously afflicted by a bout of shingles, an elbow injury and the flu – there seemed little prospect of the top seed going the same way as his female counterpart, Angelique Kerber, when he cantered to a 5-3 lead in the opening set.
But Murray faltered when serving for the set and, although he broke in the next game to seal the opener, Kuznetsov, ranked 73, appeared to draw encouragement from the wobble, breaking in the opening game of the second set.
A familiar pattern developed from there, Murray chuntering to himself as he grew increasingly exasperated. The Scot broke back immediately, but was broken again in the fifth and seventh games, the Russian establishing a cushion that enabled him to see out the set.
From there, though, Murray stepped on the accelerator, playing with an aggression and verve to which Kuznetsov had no answer, and by the end his opponent cut a forlorn figure.
Edmund into round two
Kyle Edmund reached the second round of the French Open for the third year in a row with a convincing victory over Portugal’s Gastao Elias. The British No2 favours clay and made that show in a 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 win that lasted an hour and 46 minutes. The 22-year-old will now look to progress beyond the second round for the first time, although to do that he is likely to have to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
British No1 exits in first round of tournament for second year running
Seventh seed beaten 1-6, 7-6, 6-4
Johanna Konta’s struggles on clay continued as she suffered a hugely disappointing defeat to Hsieh Su-wei in the first round of the French Open.
The seventh seed was looking for her first main-draw win at Roland Garros but this appeared a kind draw and she raced through the first set.
Hsieh, a 31-year-old from Chinese Taipei ranked 109, went into the match with little form to speak of, especially on clay.
But from unpromising beginnings she turned things around on Court Philippe Chatrier to win 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 and reach the second round here for only the second time.
Konta’s remarkable improvement over the last couple of years does not yet extend to clay. The 26-year-old is far from unique in finding movement on the surface troublesome, and she arrived in Paris with just three clay wins under her belt this season.
Konta wasted no time stamping her authority on proceedings, hitting the ball with customary clout off both forehand and backhand.
Hsieh was left helpless and, although she got on the board in the fourth game, the first set was over in just 24 minutes. Hsieh fared better in the second set, with her unconventional game beginning to frustrate Konta and draw more errors.
Having won just five points in seven previous Konta service games, Hsieh should have broken at 4-3 but netted a routine smash with the court at her mercy.
The British No1 then missed three chances to move 6-5 ahead and had to save a set point to force a tie-break.
Konta took the opening two points but Hsieh’s clever use of slice and drop shots had given her the mental edge and she reeled off seven straight points to level the match.
Having been unable to break down Hsieh’s game, Konta looked short of ideas and she soon found herself in real trouble.
Hsieh took two of three consecutive breaks and then saved four break points serving for the match, clinching it when Konta netted a return.
Scot will play Martin Klizan of Slovakia in round two
After briefly losing his way, top seed Andy Murray battled his way past Andrey Kuznetsov to take his place in round two of the French Open, winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.
It was not a perfect start by the world No1, who began the match strongly only to go walkabout about in the second set, but he finished the match with real momentum, visibly growing in belief and authority. After an indifferent build-up to Roland Garros, Murray can look forward to a second round encounter with Slovakia’s Martin Klizan with improved confidence.
“I started to feel a little bit better as the match went on but I expected a tough match because he’s played well during the clay-court season,” said Murray.
“He goes for his shots, plays very aggressive and hits the ball pretty flat, so he takes your time away. “
If Murray went into the match with questions surrounding his form and fitness – he had won only four clay-court matches this year, and has been variously afflicted by a bout of shingles, an elbow injury and the flu – there seemed little prospect of the top seed going the same way as his female counterpart, Angelique Kerber, when he cantered to a 5-3 lead in the opening set.
But Murray faltered when serving for the set and, although he broke in the next game to seal the opener, Kuznetsov, ranked 73, appeared to draw encouragement from the wobble, breaking in the opening game of the second set.
A familiar pattern developed from there, Murray chuntering to himself as he grew increasingly exasperated. The Scot broke back immediately, but was broken again in the fifth and seventh games, the Russian establishing a cushion that enabled him to see out the set.
From there, though, Murray stepped on the accelerator, playing with an aggression and verve to which Kuznetsov had no answer, and by the end his opponent cut a forlorn figure.
Edmund into round two
Kyle Edmund reached the second round of the French Open for the third year in a row with a convincing victory over Portugal’s Gastao Elias. The British No2 favours clay and made that show in a 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 win that lasted an hour and 46 minutes. The 22-year-old will now look to progress beyond the second round for the first time, although to do that he is likely to have to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
British No1 exits in first round of tournament for second year running
Seventh seed beaten 1-6, 7-6, 6-4
Johanna Konta’s struggles on clay continued as she suffered a hugely disappointing defeat to Hsieh Su-wei in the first round of the French Open.
The seventh seed was looking for her first main-draw win at Roland Garros but this appeared a kind draw and she raced through the first set.
Hsieh, a 31-year-old from Chinese Taipei ranked 109, went into the match with little form to speak of, especially on clay.
But from unpromising beginnings she turned things around on Court Philippe Chatrier to win 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 and reach the second round here for only the second time.
Konta’s remarkable improvement over the last couple of years does not yet extend to clay. The 26-year-old is far from unique in finding movement on the surface troublesome, and she arrived in Paris with just three clay wins under her belt this season.
Konta wasted no time stamping her authority on proceedings, hitting the ball with customary clout off both forehand and backhand.
Hsieh was left helpless and, although she got on the board in the fourth game, the first set was over in just 24 minutes. Hsieh fared better in the second set, with her unconventional game beginning to frustrate Konta and draw more errors.
Having won just five points in seven previous Konta service games, Hsieh should have broken at 4-3 but netted a routine smash with the court at her mercy.
The British No1 then missed three chances to move 6-5 ahead and had to save a set point to force a tie-break.
Konta took the opening two points but Hsieh’s clever use of slice and drop shots had given her the mental edge and she reeled off seven straight points to level the match.
Having been unable to break down Hsieh’s game, Konta looked short of ideas and she soon found herself in real trouble.
Hsieh took two of three consecutive breaks and then saved four break points serving for the match, clinching it when Konta netted a return.
Monday, 29 May 2017
Super League (Round 15 & 16)
Thursday
St Helens 22-19 Wigan Warriors
Friday
Castleford Tigers 32-22 Widnes Vikings
Hull FC 22-26 Leigh Centurions
Leeds Rhinos 40-0 Warrington Wolves
Salford Red Devils 50-12 Catalans Dragons
Wakefield Trinity 28-26 Huddersfield
St Helens 22-19 Wigan Warriors
Friday
Castleford Tigers 32-22 Widnes Vikings
Hull FC 22-26 Leigh Centurions
Leeds Rhinos 40-0 Warrington Wolves
Salford Red Devils 50-12 Catalans Dragons
Wakefield Trinity 28-26 Huddersfield
2017 French Open Day 2
Wins for defending champions Garbiñe Muguruza and Novak Djokovic. Rafael Nadal, Marin Cilic, David Goffin, Karolina Pliskova, Sam Stosur and Caroline Wozniacki are also through, but there were a couple of casualties among the men’s seeds as Gilles Simon and Jack Sock were beaten. Also on her way home is Francesca Schiavone, the champion in 2010, who has played the last match of her career at Roland Garros.
Sunday, 28 May 2017
2017 French Open Day 1
Petra Kvitova beats Julia Boserup 6-3, 6-2 on return after knife attack
Ekaterina Makarova of Russia beats No1 seed Angelique Kerber 6-2, 6-2
There was a ripple of heartfelt applause for Petra Kvitova on her victorious comeback and, shortly afterwards, the now worryingly familiar pain of early defeat for the world No1, Angelique Kerber, as the French Open began in sunshine, showers and mixed emotions.
Court Philippe Chatrier – poorly patronised, as ever, while the lunchtime champagne glasses tinkled nearby – rose in a minor key to acclaim Kvitova when the popular Czech posted an impressive 6-3, 6-2 win over the outclassed Californian, Julia Boserup. After what she has been through, even the many empty seats did not concern the happy Czech.
Returning from the horrors of a knife attack in her apartment last December, she kept her emotions in check when she stepped on to the tournament’s showpiece court but let the tears flow in victory as freely as the left-handed forehand that blew the world No86 hard-courter off the clay in less than an hour and a quarter.
Her team have “courage, belief, pride” printed on their T-shirts, and Kvitova explained courtside: “I needed that to come back here and play this tournament.”
Marion Bartoli, the 2013 Wimbledon champion whose own long struggle with injury forced her retirement, told her: “It was like just yesterday, blasting winners all over the place.”
Kvitova did not hold back on power on either wing, and moved with assurance on a surface that has not always been kind to her. She reached the semi-finals here in 2012 but is better suited to the grass of Wimbledon, where she has won twice. Nine aces flew from Kvitova’s rehabbed left arm and wrist past the dazzled American, although five double faults and 20 unforced errors in a short match prevented an even quicker conclusion.
Later, Kvitova spoke of her relief and satisfaction. “It was a nice and really heartwarming welcome,” she said. “My team was there. My family was there. Everyone who helped me through the difficult time. I’m happy with the game, of course, but it wasn’t really about the game today. I already won. This match is special to me. I won for the second time.”
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She added: “After we had a little break when the rain came, I ‘caught’ the racquet [on a shot] and it was a bit weird but, after one point, everything was OK. I was happy that I didn’t have any pain. I promised my doctor, who gave me the green light, that, if I feel pain in my hand during the match or in the practice, I’m stopping immediately. So I’m glad that I didn’t [have to].”
If handling the substantial trauma of a night-time assault in her own home was Kvitova’s greatest victory, Kerber has the comparatively mundane but nevertheless draining challenge of rediscovering the tennis and the self‑belief that elevated her to the top of her game over the past 18 months. It does not seem to be forthcoming.
Kerber is in more trouble than Michael Fallon, unable to correct a ship that has been listing alarmingly of late, and the normally resilient German could not avoid becoming the first world No1 to lose here in the first round in the Open era, when the unseeded, nothing-to-lose Russian Ekaterina Makarova beat her 6-2, 6-2.
Serena Williams lost in the first round to the then world No111 Virginie Razzano in 2012, when she was ranked fifth, and, in the American’s absence this summer from the tour and the top of the rankings while awaiting the arrival of her first child, Kerber had a chance to build on the late-arriving success of her breakthrough year in 2016, but appears to be blowing one opportunity after another.
She tried down to the wire in the hour and 22 minutes it lasted, but never really looked in the fight. Kerber lost more than half of her first serves, double-faulting four times, and Makarova worked her over on second serve as well. As desperation set in, Kerber went for the lines and paid the price with 25 unforced errors. There is little calm in her game and it might take a while to get it back.
As open as the women’s game has become, it is odd to see a fine player who won two slams and reached the final of another in the space of nine months lose to an opponent 40 places below her in the rankings.
Kerber also lost in the first round here last year, to 58th ranked Kiki Bertens, one of her 13 first-round exits in majors. Her clay season has been fairly miserable, as she lost first up in Stuttgart to France’s Kristina Mladenovic, retired in the third round against Eugenie Bouchard in Madrid and was helpless to stop the world No68 Anett Kontaveit in her first match in Rome. While that was her heaviest defeat by ranking in 18 months, Sunday’s loss was probably harder to take.
Kerber was near to inconsolable afterwards. “Maybe it’s good that it’s over for me,” she said. “I think I will go back home. I will do maybe a few days’ rest – or a few more days [practice]. I really don’t know what I will do now. But for sure I will think about what is the best preparation for grass.”
Kvitova and Makarova, meanwhile, could meet in the fourth round. However, in the febrile atmosphere of change that is sweeping through Roland Garros, that is far from a certainty for either player.
Robredo wins 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 in draining heat
Evans hampered by stomach cramps after fine start
Dan Evans remains convinced he will never fall in love with clay but, for the first half of his losing match against Tommy Robredo in draining heat over four sets on the first day of the 2017 French Open, his aversion to the dirt looked to be a grand bluff.
The elegant Birmingham strokemaker might never master the surface that so bothers those brought up on grass or hard courts yet, before his stamina leaked and stomach cramps kicked in, he mixed selective power and teasing touches of the highest class to raise hopes of what he, at least, would have regarded as an upset.
He later put his early burst down to a dip in his opponent’s level. “I think he just didn’t find his feet at the start, and then it was clear he was way better than me on that surface and looked physically better as well, which was a bit worrying.”
That seemed a harsh self-judgment. Mats Wilander, who won three of his seven slams here, certainly thinks so. “It’s not that he cannot play on clay, but can he win on it?” the former world No1 said. “He has the game. He was great for an hour and a half.”
Nevertheless, it was evident Evans was fighting his own game as much as Robredo’s and had nothing left when his 10th double fault handed the Spanish veteran the match after two hours and 27 minutes. Robredo won 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 and next plays the No11 seed, Grigor Dimitrov, who saw off Stéphane Robert in three sets.
It is 11 years since Robredo was No6 in the world and, at 35, he languishes at 271 halfway through a poor season, but he had won 36 of 49 matches here over 16 years and has been a quarter-finalist five times, most recently in 2013.
It has taken some of the game’s best players to stop him: Roger Federer, Albert Costa, Nikolay Davydenko, Juan Martín del Potro and David Ferrer. Evans should not be so hard on himself.
The conditions on Sunday were tough enough to force the Russian Daniil Medvedev to quit with cramp on the same court earlier, with the French wildcard Benjamin Bonzi up 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, 3-1.
Yet Evans – who admitted later he had eaten too close to the start of the match because he did not imagine Medvedev-Bonzi would finish so quickly – brought encouraging clay form to Paris, having won a couple of matches in Barcelona, as well as taking the world No9, Dominic Thiem, to a tie-break there. On Court 2 here, he lost just one first serve to take the first set.
His trainer, Mark Hilton, looked concerned when Evans left the court with stomach pains that forced him to be sick during the break. He returned to break Robredo at the start of the second set with an unreachable backhand into the deuce corner, but tiredness steadily crowded out his focus, if not his resolve. He double-faulted, then surrendered the second set when he stabbed a final volley long. A time violation did nothing for his mood.
He went 0-3 down in the third and dropped his hands on his knees when Robredo stuck a dazzling single-handed backhand past him, the last of 13 shots in the longest rally of the match. Evans held. Just. Pain racked his face but he fought to deuce, got break point and was palpably relieved when Robredo hit wide. They exchanged breaks as Evans looked to be getting a second wind, but the Spaniard toughed it out to go a set up and finished the job as a matador would with a wounded bull.
Andy Murray has not looked much like the world No1 in practice but got into a more encouraging rhythm at the nearby Jean-Bouin Stadium on Sunday, before his first-round match against the world No85 Alexander Kuznetsov on Tuesday. Murray will not know until he is in the tougher exchanges whether the cold he picked up a week ago has left his system entirely.
Ekaterina Makarova of Russia beats No1 seed Angelique Kerber 6-2, 6-2
There was a ripple of heartfelt applause for Petra Kvitova on her victorious comeback and, shortly afterwards, the now worryingly familiar pain of early defeat for the world No1, Angelique Kerber, as the French Open began in sunshine, showers and mixed emotions.
Court Philippe Chatrier – poorly patronised, as ever, while the lunchtime champagne glasses tinkled nearby – rose in a minor key to acclaim Kvitova when the popular Czech posted an impressive 6-3, 6-2 win over the outclassed Californian, Julia Boserup. After what she has been through, even the many empty seats did not concern the happy Czech.
Returning from the horrors of a knife attack in her apartment last December, she kept her emotions in check when she stepped on to the tournament’s showpiece court but let the tears flow in victory as freely as the left-handed forehand that blew the world No86 hard-courter off the clay in less than an hour and a quarter.
Her team have “courage, belief, pride” printed on their T-shirts, and Kvitova explained courtside: “I needed that to come back here and play this tournament.”
Marion Bartoli, the 2013 Wimbledon champion whose own long struggle with injury forced her retirement, told her: “It was like just yesterday, blasting winners all over the place.”
Kvitova did not hold back on power on either wing, and moved with assurance on a surface that has not always been kind to her. She reached the semi-finals here in 2012 but is better suited to the grass of Wimbledon, where she has won twice. Nine aces flew from Kvitova’s rehabbed left arm and wrist past the dazzled American, although five double faults and 20 unforced errors in a short match prevented an even quicker conclusion.
Later, Kvitova spoke of her relief and satisfaction. “It was a nice and really heartwarming welcome,” she said. “My team was there. My family was there. Everyone who helped me through the difficult time. I’m happy with the game, of course, but it wasn’t really about the game today. I already won. This match is special to me. I won for the second time.”
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She added: “After we had a little break when the rain came, I ‘caught’ the racquet [on a shot] and it was a bit weird but, after one point, everything was OK. I was happy that I didn’t have any pain. I promised my doctor, who gave me the green light, that, if I feel pain in my hand during the match or in the practice, I’m stopping immediately. So I’m glad that I didn’t [have to].”
If handling the substantial trauma of a night-time assault in her own home was Kvitova’s greatest victory, Kerber has the comparatively mundane but nevertheless draining challenge of rediscovering the tennis and the self‑belief that elevated her to the top of her game over the past 18 months. It does not seem to be forthcoming.
Kerber is in more trouble than Michael Fallon, unable to correct a ship that has been listing alarmingly of late, and the normally resilient German could not avoid becoming the first world No1 to lose here in the first round in the Open era, when the unseeded, nothing-to-lose Russian Ekaterina Makarova beat her 6-2, 6-2.
Serena Williams lost in the first round to the then world No111 Virginie Razzano in 2012, when she was ranked fifth, and, in the American’s absence this summer from the tour and the top of the rankings while awaiting the arrival of her first child, Kerber had a chance to build on the late-arriving success of her breakthrough year in 2016, but appears to be blowing one opportunity after another.
She tried down to the wire in the hour and 22 minutes it lasted, but never really looked in the fight. Kerber lost more than half of her first serves, double-faulting four times, and Makarova worked her over on second serve as well. As desperation set in, Kerber went for the lines and paid the price with 25 unforced errors. There is little calm in her game and it might take a while to get it back.
As open as the women’s game has become, it is odd to see a fine player who won two slams and reached the final of another in the space of nine months lose to an opponent 40 places below her in the rankings.
Kerber also lost in the first round here last year, to 58th ranked Kiki Bertens, one of her 13 first-round exits in majors. Her clay season has been fairly miserable, as she lost first up in Stuttgart to France’s Kristina Mladenovic, retired in the third round against Eugenie Bouchard in Madrid and was helpless to stop the world No68 Anett Kontaveit in her first match in Rome. While that was her heaviest defeat by ranking in 18 months, Sunday’s loss was probably harder to take.
Kerber was near to inconsolable afterwards. “Maybe it’s good that it’s over for me,” she said. “I think I will go back home. I will do maybe a few days’ rest – or a few more days [practice]. I really don’t know what I will do now. But for sure I will think about what is the best preparation for grass.”
Kvitova and Makarova, meanwhile, could meet in the fourth round. However, in the febrile atmosphere of change that is sweeping through Roland Garros, that is far from a certainty for either player.
Robredo wins 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 in draining heat
Evans hampered by stomach cramps after fine start
Dan Evans remains convinced he will never fall in love with clay but, for the first half of his losing match against Tommy Robredo in draining heat over four sets on the first day of the 2017 French Open, his aversion to the dirt looked to be a grand bluff.
The elegant Birmingham strokemaker might never master the surface that so bothers those brought up on grass or hard courts yet, before his stamina leaked and stomach cramps kicked in, he mixed selective power and teasing touches of the highest class to raise hopes of what he, at least, would have regarded as an upset.
He later put his early burst down to a dip in his opponent’s level. “I think he just didn’t find his feet at the start, and then it was clear he was way better than me on that surface and looked physically better as well, which was a bit worrying.”
That seemed a harsh self-judgment. Mats Wilander, who won three of his seven slams here, certainly thinks so. “It’s not that he cannot play on clay, but can he win on it?” the former world No1 said. “He has the game. He was great for an hour and a half.”
Nevertheless, it was evident Evans was fighting his own game as much as Robredo’s and had nothing left when his 10th double fault handed the Spanish veteran the match after two hours and 27 minutes. Robredo won 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 and next plays the No11 seed, Grigor Dimitrov, who saw off Stéphane Robert in three sets.
It is 11 years since Robredo was No6 in the world and, at 35, he languishes at 271 halfway through a poor season, but he had won 36 of 49 matches here over 16 years and has been a quarter-finalist five times, most recently in 2013.
It has taken some of the game’s best players to stop him: Roger Federer, Albert Costa, Nikolay Davydenko, Juan Martín del Potro and David Ferrer. Evans should not be so hard on himself.
The conditions on Sunday were tough enough to force the Russian Daniil Medvedev to quit with cramp on the same court earlier, with the French wildcard Benjamin Bonzi up 5-7, 6-4, 6-1, 3-1.
Yet Evans – who admitted later he had eaten too close to the start of the match because he did not imagine Medvedev-Bonzi would finish so quickly – brought encouraging clay form to Paris, having won a couple of matches in Barcelona, as well as taking the world No9, Dominic Thiem, to a tie-break there. On Court 2 here, he lost just one first serve to take the first set.
His trainer, Mark Hilton, looked concerned when Evans left the court with stomach pains that forced him to be sick during the break. He returned to break Robredo at the start of the second set with an unreachable backhand into the deuce corner, but tiredness steadily crowded out his focus, if not his resolve. He double-faulted, then surrendered the second set when he stabbed a final volley long. A time violation did nothing for his mood.
He went 0-3 down in the third and dropped his hands on his knees when Robredo stuck a dazzling single-handed backhand past him, the last of 13 shots in the longest rally of the match. Evans held. Just. Pain racked his face but he fought to deuce, got break point and was palpably relieved when Robredo hit wide. They exchanged breaks as Evans looked to be getting a second wind, but the Spaniard toughed it out to go a set up and finished the job as a matador would with a wounded bull.
Andy Murray has not looked much like the world No1 in practice but got into a more encouraging rhythm at the nearby Jean-Bouin Stadium on Sunday, before his first-round match against the world No85 Alexander Kuznetsov on Tuesday. Murray will not know until he is in the tougher exchanges whether the cold he picked up a week ago has left his system entirely.
Super Rugby
Friday
Blues 16-16 Chiefs
Reds 26-40 Force
Saturday
Sunwolves 7-47 Cheetahs
Highlanders 44-28 Waratahs
Rebels 19-41 Crusaders
Bulls 20-34 Hurricanes
Sharks 22-10 Stormers
Jaguares 15-39 Brumbies
Lions 54-10 Southern Kings
Blues 16-16 Chiefs
Reds 26-40 Force
Saturday
Highlanders 44-28 Waratahs
Rebels 19-41 Crusaders
Bulls 20-34 Hurricanes
Sharks 22-10 Stormers
Jaguares 15-39 Brumbies
Sunday
Sunday, 21 May 2017
Magic Weekend
Saturday
Catalans Dragons 10-18 Huddersfield
Leigh Centurions 22-36 Salford Red Devils
Castleford Tigers 29-18 Leeds Rhinos
Widnes Vikings 12-34 Wakefield Trinity
Hull FC 0-45 St Helens
Wigan Warriors 24-24 Warrington Wolves
Hull FC 0-45 St Helens
Wigan Warriors 24-24 Warrington Wolves
Sunday
Catalans Dragons 10-18 Huddersfield
Leigh Centurions 22-36 Salford Red Devils
Castleford Tigers 29-18 Leeds Rhinos
Super Rugby
Friday
Chiefs 24-31 Crusaders
Stormers 30-22 Blues
Hurricanes 61-7 Cheetahs
Force 6-55 Highlanders
Sunwolves 17-38 Sharks
Lions 51-14 Bulls
Southern Kings 10-19 Brumbies
Chiefs 24-31 Crusaders
Stormers 30-22 Blues
Saturday
Hurricanes 61-7 Cheetahs
Force 6-55 Highlanders
Sunwolves 17-38 Sharks
Lions 51-14 Bulls
Southern Kings 10-19 Brumbies
Sunday
Waratahs 50-23 Rebels
Thursday, 18 May 2017
Premier League darts play-offs
Semi-final result: Wright 10-9 Taylor
Semi-final result: Van Gerwen 10-7 Anderson
Final best of 21 legs
Van Gerwen 11-10 Wright
Semi-final result: Van Gerwen 10-7 Anderson
Final best of 21 legs
Van Gerwen 11-10 Wright
Sunday, 14 May 2017
Super Rugby
Friday
Blues 50-32 Cheetahs
Brumbies 6-13 Lions
Saturday
Crusaders 20-12 Hurricanes
Rebels 24-29 Reds
Bulls 10-17 Highlanders
Southern Kings 35-32 Sharks
Jaguares 6-16 Force
Blues 50-32 Cheetahs
Brumbies 6-13 Lions
Saturday
Rebels 24-29 Reds
Bulls 10-17 Highlanders
Southern Kings 35-32 Sharks
Jaguares 6-16 Force
Friday, 12 May 2017
Betway Premier League Week 15
Dave Chisnall 6-6 James Wade
Phil Taylor 7-5 Adrian Lewis
Peter Wright 7-1 Raymond van Barneveld
Michael van Gerwen 7-4 Gary Anderson
Phil Taylor 7-5 Adrian Lewis
Peter Wright 7-1 Raymond van Barneveld
Michael van Gerwen 7-4 Gary Anderson
Wednesday, 10 May 2017
Betway Premier League Week 14
Peter Wright 7-2 Adrian Lewis
Raymond van Barneveld 5-7 Dave Chisnall
James Wade 3-7 Gary Anderson
Michael van Gerwen 3-7 Phil Taylor
Raymond van Barneveld 5-7 Dave Chisnall
James Wade 3-7 Gary Anderson
Michael van Gerwen 3-7 Phil Taylor
Sunday, 7 May 2017
Super League & Super Rugby
Super League
Thursday
Huddersfield 21-26 Castleford Tigers
Friday
Warrington Wolves 40-18 St Helens
Wigan Warriors 16-31 Salford Red Devils
Catalans Dragons 24-30 Leeds Rhinos
Leigh Centurions 20-46 Wakefield Trinity
Widnes Vikings 22-33 Hull FC
Thursday
Huddersfield 21-26 Castleford Tigers
Friday
Warrington Wolves 40-18 St Helens
Wigan Warriors 16-31 Salford Red Devils
Saturday
Catalans Dragons 24-30 Leeds Rhinos
Leigh Centurions 20-46 Wakefield Trinity
Sunday
Widnes Vikings 22-33 Hull FC
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