Dan Evans' ATP Tour return disrupted by pigeon as Brit crashes out in first round

Dan Evans suffered his first-ever defeat to Karen Khachanov in the first round of the Dubai Tennis Championships, losing 6-1 6-3 as a pigeon disrupted play.

The Brit had not played a main draw ATP Tour match since October, and his ranking has fallen to No. 178.

Evans previously had an unbeaten 5-0 record against Khachanov, including his thrilling five-set victory at last year’s US Open, in what was the longest match in tournament history.

The British No. 5 received a wildcard into this week’s ATP 500 in Dubai - his first tour-level main draw appearance in four months.

This year, Evans has failed to qualify for main draws at the Australian Open and Rotterdam Open, and has made a handful of Challenger Tour appearances. And his lack of competitive play showed early on in Dubai.

Evans received a brutal draw, meeting top-25 star Khachanov. The Brit had never lost a match to the Russian, but, with minimal matches under his belt, he struggled immediately.

The 34-year-old was broken straight off the bat and ran into some more trouble when a pigeon disrupted one of his service games.

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While trailing 2-0, Evans had to replay a point when the bird flew onto the net and sat on it, disrupting play. As he prepared to serve again, the pigeon swooped in and interrupted him.

It finally flew off, but Evans still had difficulty getting on the board. Despite saving break points, he was broken again, and Khachanov raced into a 4-0 lead.

The 34-year-old finally got on the board but the Russian proved relentless and broke for a third time to take the first set 6-1 in just over half an hour. Khachanov’s demolition job continued as he reeled off his fourth straight game to lead 2-0 in set two.

Evans finally settled in and had his first break point opportunities, roaring when he converted his second to get back on serve. It was the boost he needed, and momentum started to shift.

But it didn’t last long. The world No. 178 had chances to break again, but Khachanov quashed them and moved ahead. The missed opportunities proved costly for Evans, who was broken at 3-4, giving Khachanov the chance to serve for the match.

It was a significant win for the world No. 24, who had never beaten the Brit. Afterwards, Khachanov admitted his recent US Open defeat to Evans was a “nightmare”.

The Russian said: “Don’t remind me please of that match! It’s like a nightmare.

“We played in US Open, five hours 40 [minutes], better not to remember. I’m so happy I won today, first time against him. He’s a really tricky opponent, for me especially. I played really well to be honest, I’m super happy.”