Tennis: Under the radar Dan Evans secures biggest win of his life in Washington DC

All eyes in British tennis have been on Andy Murray’s post-surgery late-career heroics, or on Emma Raducanu’s medical and coaching struggles.

But overnight in the humidity of a Washington summer, under the radar, it was Dan Evans who scored the greatest triumph of his late-blooming tennis career.

Winning an ATP 500 tournament here is a huge achievement and means that Dan Evans’ name will also be in the mix as the best players from around the world prepare for the US Open later this month.

Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic were not in Washington after their Wimbledon showdown, but it was still a top quality field. And Evans will be thrilled as he turns around his season in dramatic fashion.

Dan Evans, who’s from Birmingham, had lost in his opening rounds at Queen’s Club, Wimbledon and the Atlanta Open.

But here in the US capital - in a rain-interrupted tournament that also had to deal with a wild storm one night and brutal temperatures all week - he beat a succession of top players, including local favourite Frances Tiafoe and the Bulgarian veteran Gregor Dmitrov.

And then last night, in the final of the Mubadala Citi DC Open, he beat the rising Dutch star Tallon Griekspoor 7-5, 6-3 for the greatest success of his career, taking Evans to a world ranking of 21.

At 33, “Evo” - as he’s widely known on the tour - becomes the oldest champion here since Jimmy Connors, way back in 1988. He is also the first British champion in Washington since Tim Henman in 2003.

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