British number two Dan Evans claimed the biggest title of his career with a straight sets victory over Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor in the final of the Citi Open in Washington.
The 33-year-old overcame both his high-flying opponent and a rain delay as he secured his first ATP 500 crown – and just his second Tour victory – with a 7-5 6-3 win.
The opening set stayed on serve, with Griekspoor, who was chasing his third title of the season, saving two break points in the fourth game to hold.
World number 30 Evans held to love to lead 5-4, and then had to change his racket during the next game after breaking a string.
A long return from Griekspoor then handed Evans another break chance and set point, which was saved by a booming ace from the Dutchman who then levelled things up at 5-5.
Griekspoor, who had knocked out top seed Taylor Fritz in the semi-final, then found himself 15-40 down on his next serve after a fine passing shot from Evans.
With the pressure on, a wayward return into the net from Griekspoor handed the Briton the opening set in 50 minutes.
With the second set tied at 1-1 and Evans 30-love up in the third game, play was suspended as rain began to fall. It proved, though, only a brief delay and the players did not leave the court before the match resumed.
However, Swedish umpire Mohamed Lahyani was soon again out of his chair as the drizzle continued – with Evans, leading 2-1, looking less than impressed as he sat under an umbrella for another few minutes before play was allowed to continue.
Griekspoor levelled things up on serve, but the players were forced off because of a lightning warning in the area.
Play was suspended again just before 6.30pm local time, this time looking set for a more lengthy delay and with spectators also having to leave the stadium.
The players and spectators finally returned to court more than 90 minutes later, where Evans resumed right where he left off.
He cruised through his remaining service games and dictated play on return, not facing a break point until his final game on serve.
But Evans held his nerve, saving four break point opportunities before claiming victory with a service winner.
Evans entered the event on a seven-match losing streak but won 10 straight sets en route to the title, eclipsing second seed Frances Tiafoe and fifth seed Grigor Dimitrov in the process.
It is Evans’s first ATP title since Melbourne in 2021.
French Open impose alcohol ban after crowd issues at Roland-Garros
French Open spectators will no longer be able to consume alcohol from the stands, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo has revealed.
The move has been made in a bid to end unruly behaviour within the crowd following a couple of incidents at Roland-Garros this week.
Reigning women's champion Iga Swiatek pleaded for supporters to keep quiet during points after her second-round victory over Naomi Osaka, while David Goffin had chewing gum spat at him in his win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
While alcohol will still be available on the concourses, Mauresmo says there will be tougher security measures in place to identify offenders, while umpires are encouraged to be stricter when calling for respect "to the players and to the game".
"First of all, we are happy people are very enthusiastic about watching tennis and being part of the matches, showing feeling and emotions," the tournament director said.
"But there are definitely steps which shouldn't go further. A few things have needed to be put in place. Alcohol has been allowed up until now in the stands - but that's over."
"Overstepping these two things is not something we will tolerate. If people want to show emotion, that's great and see how it happens. I'm an optimist and I think people will react in a good way. If not, we will take more measures."
Dominant Zverev sees off Goffin to reach third round at French Open
Alexander Zverev cruised through to the third round of the French Open with a straight-sets victory over David Goffin on Thursday.
The fourth seed followed up his impressive win over 14-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal in the last round by beating Goffin 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-2 after two hours and 22 minutes on the court.
Zverev was pushed all the way in the opening set before eventually edging it, and his intensity and power carried him through the rest of the match.
Despite making five unforced errors in the second set, the German remained in control and did not face a single break point in the third to advance.
He will play either Tallon Griekspoor or Luciano Darderi in the next round as he continues to chase his first major title.
Data Debrief: Zverev continues dominance on clay
Zverev has won eight consecutive matches on clay for the first time since 2019, when he won eight between Geneva and Roland Garros.
This was a significant victory, too, as it is his 90th in Grand Slam events - only Boris Becker and Tommy Haas have more among German players in men's singles.
Svitolina and Rybakina remain on collision course for French Open fourth round
Elina Svitolina and Elena Rybakina remain on course for a French Open fourth-round showdown, after the pair enjoyed straight-sets victories in round two.
Rybakina was a 6-3 6-4 winner over Arantxa Rus in 67 minutes, while Svitolina battled past local favourite Diane Parry 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in just under two hours at Roland-Garros.
Former Wimbledon champion Rybakina is still yet to drop a set at this season's clay-court major.
Her opponent was seeking another scalp at the French Open, having stunned second seed Kim Clijsters at this stage back in 2011.
However, despite a spirited display, there was to be no such fairytale for the 33-year-old Dutchwoman 13 years on, with Rybakina hitting 28 winners to 20 unforced errors on the way to victory.
The Kazakhstani is back in round three for a third straight year, though she was forced to withdraw injured before her last-32 clash with Sara Sorribes Tormo 12 months ago.
Meanwhile, Svitolina faced another tough battle, having been forced to come from behind to beat former world number one Karolina Pliskova in the opening round.
Runner-up to Coco Gauff in Auckland at the start of the year, the Ukrainian has not progressed beyond the last 16 of any event since, but just had too much for Parry on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Data Debrief: Svitolina matches Sharapova and Stosur
A four-time quarter-finalist at Roland-Garros, Svitolina is through to round three for a ninth successive appearance.
The 15th seed is the first player to do that since Maria Sharapova (13 from 2004) and Sam Stosur (10 from 2009) in 2018.
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