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Jack Draper, Dan Evans eliminated from Monte Carlo Masters

Jack Draper, Dan Evans eliminated from Monte Carlo Masters
© Reuters
Jack Draper and Dan Evans bow out of the Monte Carlo Masters at the hands of Hubert Hurkacz and Ilya Ivashka respectively.

Great Britain have no more players left in the Monte Carlo Masters singles tournament as Jack Draper and Dan Evans both bowed out on Tuesday.

Draper's captivating second-round contest with Polish 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz ended in a 3-6 7-6[3] 5-7 defeat, while Evans capitulated from a set up against Ilya Ivashka to lose in three during their first-round match.

Firing aces and winners for fun, Hurkacz blew Draper away in the opening exchanges, storming into a 5-0 lead before the Brit restored a bit of parity with a break back in a three-game winning streak.

Hurkacz would ultimately clinch the first set, although the Pole fell 3-0 down in the second as Draper immediately threatened a turnaround, but the Brit's advantage was quickly wiped out as Hurkacz won three on the spin himself.

A closely-fought second set would go all the way to a tie-breaker, where an incredible forehand down the line from Draper levelled the match and set up a tantalising third set, in which the 21-year-old double-faulted in the sixth game to gift Hurkacz a break.

Draper let out a few roars as frustration got the better of him, but his display of emotion was seemingly just what the doctor ordered, as he broke back straight away and backed it up with a hold to 30.

However, with Hurkacz leading 6-5, Draper blew a 40-0 lead on serve, as the Pole worked his counterpart across the baseline and came to the net to complete a phenomenal victory.

Dan Evans pictured at the Davis Cup qualifiers in February 2023© Reuters

As Draper and Hurkacz got underway in their final set, Evans suffered a woeful collapse against Belarusian world number 74 Ivashka, losing 6-2 2-6 3-6 in one hour and 53 minutes.

The Briton exploded out of the blocks in his first-round contest, winning each of the first four games and comfortably taking the first set in just half an hour.

Ivashka did not win a single point on his second serve during the opening set, but the Belarusian dictated proceedings henceforth, breaking in the fourth game of the second set thanks to a succession of winners.

After missing a chance to break back in the seventh game, Evans ceded the second set with a whimper, and the pair could not be separated early doors in the pivotal third set.

Following three holds apiece, Evans brought up the first break point of the set in the seventh game following an Ivashka double fault and unforced error, but the world number 28 failed to capitalise and was broken in the eighth game.

While Ivashka was serving for a place in the second round, Evans got to 30-15 on the 29-year-old's serve, but he squandered his advantage with a pair of unforced errors before Ivashka's 25th winner of the day sent the Brit packing.

Elsewhere, Novak Djokovic's first match since March's Dubai Tennis Championships ended in a 7-6[5] 6-2 win over Ivan Gakhov, while second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was 4-1 up against Benjamin Bonzi before the Frenchman retired in their second-round contest.

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Andy Murray pictured at the Monte Carlo Masters on April 10, 2023
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