Dan Evans pushed world number one Carlos Alcaraz all the way before bowing out of the US Open following a breathtaking third-round match.
The defending champion had to dip into his armoury of explosive winners to finally see off the British number two inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The last time Evans played the top-ranked player he rose to the occasion, beating Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo three years ago.
And the 26th seed brought the very best out of the 20-year-old Wimbledon champion before succumbing 6-2 6-3 4-6 6-3.
Alcaraz dominated the first set, constantly pushing his opponent to the back of the court and hitting 14 winners to Evans’ four.
But he showed he is not infallible at the start of the second after a double-fault gave Evans, who was beginning to relish the challenge, a break point which he converted with a superb backhand down the line.
Alcaraz quickly retrieved the break and a frustrated Evans was given a code violation after slicing the ball into the crowd after netting a volley at 15-30 up on the Spaniard’s serve.
Evans was playing well, but Alcaraz simply raised his level and brought up set point with a blistering forehand down the line which brought gasps from the spectators.
Evans saved that one, but could do nothing with the next after an exquisite lob and simple volley put Alcaraz two sets up.
Never one to give up without a fight, Evans promptly played one of the best sets of his career.
He broke for 4-3 and, serving for the set, forced Alcaraz into some of the most outrageous clutch winners.
The pair, who played golf together at Wimbledon, frequently exchanged knowing looks and grins, such was the quality of the cat-and-mouse tennis on show.
It took Evans, 33, five set points to make the breakthrough, prompting a suddenly exasperated Alcaraz to slam his racket down in frustration.
But Alcaraz turned the match back in his favour with another stunning shot on break point. On the run and at full stretch, he unleashed a forehand down the line which clipped the baseline and left Evans stood, hands on hips, in sheer disbelief.
Two aces, another sensational lob onto the baseline and a 61st winner of the match finished Evans off, but Alcaraz knew he had been in a contest.
“He’s a tricky opponent, great slices, good touch and it’s my game as well so it was a pretty good match,” said Alcaraz.
“We made great points, great shots, a lot of different situations, so I’m really happy to get through
“We played some great points that made us smile, Dan as well. It’s great to see Dan and I on a tennis court, we tried to entertain and make the match fun.”
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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