Evans runs out of steam, but Draper into US Open last 16

Great Britain's marathon man Dan Evans ran out of steam in a third-round defeat by Alex de Minaur at the US Open, but Jack Draper reached the last 16 with victory over Botic van de Zandschulp.

Draper's side of the draw in New York had been blown open by Carlos Alcaraz's defeat by Dutchman Van de Zandschulp in the previous round and the British number one made the most of the initial opportunity with a 6-3 6-4 6-2 win.

But there was disappointment for Evans as his first-round win against Karen Khachanov in the longest match in US Open history finally took its toll.

Having fought hard to level the match at one-set all, the 34-year-old's energy rapidly faded and he needed a medical timeout as De Minaur won 12 games in a row for a 6-3 6-7 (4-7) 6-0 6-0 victory.

"I'm not one to retire unless I can't walk. I want to give Alex the win - I think he deserves to take the win," Evans told BBC afterwards.

Australia's 10th seed De Minaur said he appreciated his opponent battling through the pain until the very end.

"The first thing we should show is a lot of respect to Dan, he's the ultimate competitor," De Minaur said in his on-court interview.

"He could have easily pulled out, the body was obviously not feeling well but he stayed out there and tried his best. I really appreciate it."

De Minaur will face fellow Australian Jordan Thompson in the fourth round.

The winner of that match could face 25th seed Draper in the quarter-finals, with the Briton needing to beat Czech Tomas Machac if he is to reach the last eight of a major for the first time.

Before the US Open, Evans had failed to win two successive matches on the ATP Tour this year.

But after beating Khachanov in five hours and 35 minutes, he moved past Argentina's Mariano Navone in straight sets in the second round.

However, the fatigue appeared to catch up with him on Louis Armstrong Stadium as his impressive run at Flushing Meadows petered out in disappointing fashion.

Evans was looking increasingly weary when he found himself serving for the second set after breaking at 4-4.

But he failed to see the job through, and used valuable energy to win the resulting tie-break.

That effort appeared to cost him dearly in the third set as he required medical attention for an issue with his hip.

With nothing left to give, Evans was jeered by some of the crowd as De Minaur sped through the fourth set in 18 minutes, dropping just two points.

"The irony of it [being booed] is that I was staying on the court for them, but I’ve had worse, I’ll survive," said Evans.

However, many fans recognised the Briton's achievement in winning the longest match in US Open history and he left the stadium to a standing ovation.

Evans added: "It's been a long week. I played good tennis today and unfortunately my hip was problematic in the end but I leave with fond memories of New York for another year."

In muggy conditions at Flushing Meadows, where Draper repeatedly used ice packs on his neck and blasted himself with an air conditioning unit at changeovers, the Briton was cool and clinical against a weary-looking and error-prone opponent.

He had come into the match without dropping serve at the tournament so far and he raced into an early 4-1 lead before being pegged back when he was broken for the first time in the seventh game.

But he immediately broke back to love and served the set out, albeit in faltering fashion when he needed a fifth set point to finally seal it.

Left-hander Draper got the key break in the seventh game of the second set and this time clinched the set more emphatically with an ace.

A double-fault at the start of the third summed up the day for world number 74 Van de Zandschulp, who just could not find the same level of consistency he had displayed in his brilliant victory over four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz.

Draper had said before this match that he would be trying to be "more aggressive in certain moments" following a series of narrow defeats earlier this year, but he never really needed to be against an opponent who racked up 38 unforced errors and looked to be struggling physically towards the end.

A fourth-round appearance at a Grand Slam is an opportunity that Draper is relishing after a "tough year" with injuries in 2023 that left him considering his future in the sport.

Draper made an impressive run to the last 16 in New York last year, but he said that he had been still "really struggling" with a shoulder injury he had sustained on his French Open debut a few months earlier.

The same issue caused Draper to miss that year's entire grass-court season, including his home Slam at Wimbledon.

The 22-year-old credits a return to his old fitness trainer, Steven Kotze, as the reason behind his clean bill of health in 2024.

"I feel very different now," Draper added.

"I'm not waking up every day worried about playing five sets. I have so much more confidence in my mind and my body through experiences of playing on the tour now this year consistently."

The Briton, who is at a career-high ranking of 25 and won his first ATP title in June in Stuttgart, now has a chance to reach his first Grand Slam quarter-final in a draw that is shorn of 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic as well as Alcaraz.