Dan Evans dumped out of Qatar Open by Emil Ruusuvuori
- Planet Sport writer
- 21 February 2023
Dan Evans has been knocked out of first round of the Qatar Open while struggling with an ankle injury.
The British number two had broken Finnish opponent Emil Ruusuvuori to love in the opening game.
But as Evans hit his first serve of the match he appeared to tweak his right ankle.
The 32-year-old, seeded sixth in Doha, was promptly broken to love and had the ankle strapped during the changeover.
Evans battled hard to stay in the first set, fighting back from 5-3 down, but a double fault let 23-year-old Ruusuvuori take it.
Ruusuvuori, ranked 51 in the world, wrapped up a 7-5 6-4 victory on his second match point when Evans netted a forehand.
British number one Cameron Norrie moved into the second round of the Rio Open with a 7-5 6-1 win over Argentinian lucky loser Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
Norrie, who is ranked number two into the tournament, will next face home favourite Thiago Monteiro.
