GB's Evans out of Wimbledon qualifying as singles career ends

Evans has been given a wildcard for the men's doubles alongside fellow Briton Henry Searle

>Britain's Dan Evans has played the last professional singles match of his career after losing to Tristan Schoolkate in the second round of Wimbledon qualifying.

>The 36-year-old announced earlier this month that he would retire after the Championships, which starts on Monday.

>Evans missed out on one of the eight singles wildcards, meaning he needed to win three matches in Roehampton this week to play one last singles tournament at SW19.

>But his singles career came to a disappointing end as he suffered a 7-5 6-0 defeat in a match that was disrupted by an issue with the electronic line calling system.

>Evans, however, will still play at Wimbledon after being given a wildcard into the men's doubles with Henry Searle.

>"[On] Monday I played my first round and it was a little difficult. There were some strange thoughts going through my head, but today I was good," said Evans.

>"I thought I played pretty well today but Tristan was too good."

>Watched on by a packed-out home crowd at Roehampton, Evans seemed to be enjoying himself and playing with freedom during a tight first set against Australian Schoolkate.

>At 5-4 down, he entertained the fans with a brilliant forehand winner - hitting it down the line after diving to the floor to reach a Schoolkate drop shot.

>That earned him a standing ovation and he remained on the floor to celebrate, pretending to swim on the pristine green court.

>However, it was Schoolkate who clinched the opener before the second set was delayed for more than an hour when the electronic line calling system stopped working.

>"There was a temporary loss of power to part of our qualifying venue, which meant that the electronic line calling system could not function," a spokesperson for the All England Club said.

>When play eventually resumed, Evans was unable to match Schoolkate's level. He failed to win a single game and walked off court looking downcast after the world number 147 wrapped up the second set in 22 minutes.

>"It's not an easy match up. Dan is a phenomenal player and I wish him all the best for after his career," Schoolkate said.

>"I've looked up to guys like him for a long time. So much of the tennis today is the same old, same old. Watching him, the way he jinks it around, his slices are amazing, he's a great competitor and so many young kids can learn a lot from Dan."

>Evans won two ATP Tour-level singles tournaments, while he was part of the 2015 Davis Cup team that secured Great Britain's first title in 79 years.

>In 2024, he sacrificed the 500 ranking points he had won at the Washington Open the previous year to partner Sir Andy Murray for his final tournament at the Paris Olympics.

>With temperatures reaching 34C and a red weather warning in place in London on Wednesday, ball kids were stood down and replaced by members of the court services team, who are all adults.

>Also in Wimbledon qualifying, Billy Harris won 6-4 6-4 against Hungary's Zsombor Piros, while fellow Briton Oliver Tarvet claimed a 7-5 6-2 win against Canada's Alexis Galarneau.

>Max Basing, meanwhile, is one win away from making his debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam after beating Tom Gentzsch of Germany.

>However, Esther Adeshina's dream is over for another year as she suffered a 6-2 6-2 defeat by France's Harmony Tan, while Paul Jubb also lost 6-4 3-6 6-1 against Chile's Marcelo Tomas Barrios Vera.