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Former British number 1 Dan Evans is out of Australian Open qualifying after a first-round loss to Japan’s Rei Sakamoto.
The 35-year-old was beaten 6-1 6-2 as he appeared to struggle with his serve.
He committed four double faults and made only 48 percent of his first serves, compared to 74 percent for Sakamoto.
Evans fared little better on the return, failing to secure a break point, while Sakamoto took five of his seven break opportunities.
This is the second year in a row that Evans has been eliminated in the first round of qualifying in Melbourne. The only Grand Slam main draw he reached in 2025 was at Wimbledon, where he received a wild card.
Dan Evans eliminated in first round of Australian Open qualifying
There was better news for the British contingent in Melbourne on Monday as Arthur Féry beat Australian Edward Winter 6-2 6-4 to advance.
Georges Loffhagen joins him in the second round after scoring a hard-fought 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-2) victory over Germany’s Justin Engel.
Jack Pinnington-Jones And Jay Clarke followed Evans. Pinnington Jones lost in straight sets to Belgian Gilles Arnaud Bailly, while Clarke also failed to win a set against Brazilian Gustavo Heide.
Norrie wins in Auckland
Elsewhere, Great Britain Cam Norrie won his opening match at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
Norrie beat French qualifier Hugo Gaston 6-3 6-4 to set up a round of 16 meeting with either Roberto Bautista Agut or Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Norrie is the fifth seed in Auckland thanks to his world ranking of No. 28, and will be the highest-ranked British man at the Australian Open in the absence of the injured Jack Draper.
Norrie produced a strong serving performance against Gaston on Monday, hitting 69 percent of his first serves and winning 88 percent of those points to control the match.
The 30-year-old created eight break chances and seized five of them to seal the victory in one hour and 20 minutes.
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