Van de Zandschulp stranded in second round US Open after defeat against Evans | Sport

Van de Zandschulp made an energetic start on runway 11 at Flushing Meadows. He broke the Brit twice in the opening set and cashed in his second set point after just over half an hour.

In the second set, Evans managed to break Van de Zandschulp’s service game for the first time with a 2-1 lead, thanks in part to a nice backhand pass. The break gave the Brit visible energy and the Dutchman let it go in the remainder of the first set.

Evans had the better of the game in the third and fourth sets. With alternating tennis he forced Van de Zandschulp, who has little competition rhythm due to various injuries, to make mistakes. The Dutchman produced 38 unnecessary errors and recorded 34 winners. Evans came up with almost twice as many winners as the number of unnecessary mistakes he made: 29 to 15.

Evans placed the decisive break at 2-1 in the fourth set. At 4-2, Van de Zandschulp had another chance to undo the break, but he failed to complete an apparently quite simple volley. Evans came to a lob, which was too powerful for the Dutchman. After 2 hours and 41 minutes he used his third game point. He ended the game with a smash.

Earlier in the American hard court season, the 33-year-old Evans had already beat Tallon Greek track. That was in the final of the Washington ATP tournament, one of the preparation tournaments for the US Open.

In the final phase, Van de Zandschulp seemed to have hurt a foot and a number of times he went to the corners with difficulty. Then he looked to the side, shaking his head. In the run-up to the US Open, the number 2 in the Netherlands was out for a month and a half with an ankle injury. Shortly before, a foot injury bothered him.