Evans backs up marathon match with second-round win

Britain's Dan Evans advanced to the third round of the US Open following a straight-set win over Argentina's Mariano Navone. This victory comes 48 hours after Evans' record-setting first-round match, where he defeated Russia's Karen Khachanov in five hours and 35 minutes, marking the longest match in US Open history.

The 34-year-old secured a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win against Navone, ranked 36th globally, to continue his progress in the tournament. Evans acknowledged feeling "extra pressure" to advance after his marathon victory against the 23rd seed Khachanov, stating, "It was a strange 48 hours. Everyone was congratulating me, which was almost a bit embarrassing. I felt a bit more extra pressure to win; I didn't want to win that match and lose in the next round - it wouldn't feel right."

Before this match, Evans had not managed to win consecutive matches on the ATP Tour this year. In the match against Navone, he initially trailed 0-3 in the first set but recovered by winning six of the next seven games. In the second set, he overcame an early break and secured two more breaks. Despite a late challenge from Navone in the third set, Evans held firm, ultimately celebrating with fans as Navone's forehand went long on Evans' second match point, concluding the match in two hours and 37 minutes. Evans is set to face Australia's 10th seed Alex de Minaur in the next round, following de Minaur's 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) victory over Finland's Otto Virtanen.

Earlier on Thursday, British women's number one Katie Boulter faced a "horrendous" defeat against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. Boulter, seeded 31st, lost 7-5, 7-5 to the Spanish player ranked 74th. Boulter admitted to being too passive during the match, saying, "Today I was a little too passive, and I didn't quite play the way I wanted to play." She noted the challenge of facing lower-ranked opponents who perform above their ranking and emphasized the need to play her own game better.

Boulter had risen significantly in the rankings over the past 18 months but has yet to reach the second week of a Grand Slam. She entered the US Open with limited preparation on hard courts, having only completed three matches on the surface following her participation in the Olympics on Paris clay.

Bouzas Maneiro, who began the year outside the world's top 150, continued her strong form after an impressive run at Wimbledon, where she reached the third round, defeating defending champion Marketa Vondrousova before retiring injured. She is set to face sixth seed Jessica Pegula in the next round after Pegula defeated fellow American Sofia Kenin 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.

Meanwhile, British men's number one Jack Draper secured a straightforward win over Argentina's Facundo Diaz Acosta, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, to move into the third round. Draper, who won his first ATP title in Stuttgart in June, is aiming to build on his career-best performance from last year, where he reached the fourth round of the US Open. He broke Diaz Acosta in the third game of the match and maintained control, fending off three break points in the first set and offering only one more break-point opportunity, which Diaz Acosta failed to convert.

Draper could potentially face third seed Carlos Alcaraz in the next round, pending Alcaraz's match against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp in Thursday's evening session. Reflecting on his previous victory over Alcaraz at Queen's Club in June, Draper commented, "If I do play him, I'll be expecting a very different Carlos Alcaraz out there to the one I played at Queen's, so I'm looking forward to that battle, and let's see how that goes."