Dan Evans will follow in the footsteps of good friend Marcus Willis after beating 30th seed Alexandr Dolgopolov to set up a third-round clash with Roger Federer at Wimbledon.
Evans had never won a match at SW19 prior to this year but ended that run against Jan-Lennard Struff in round one and was superb in a 7-6 (8/6) 6-4 6-1 victory over Dolgopolov.
A year ago the British number four was ranked in the 700s but he has finally put in the hard work his talent deserves and is reaping the benefits.
His ranking, currently 91, was high enough to earn him a place at a grand slam for the first time and he came into the tournament in good form after reaching the third round in Nottingham last week.
After losing there to Pablo Cuevas, he headed straight to London to cheer on Willis in his final qualifier.
On this form, Federer is likely to find his second successive British opponent a much more challenging prospect.
The match resumed under sunny skies on Court Two at 6-6 in the opening set following Wednesday's rain.
Evans just missed a forehand on his first set point at 6-5 in the tie-break but was handed the set anyway when his opponent double-faulted.
Evans was serving brilliantly, moving well, outplaying the tricky Ukrainian from the back of the court and coming to the net at the right moments.
He quickly moved a double break ahead in the second set and, although he failed to serve it out initially, he made no mistake second time around.
The 26-year-old was strutting around like a Wimbledon veteran and jogged to his chair after breaking Dolgopolov twice to lead 3-0 in the third set.
Davis Cup captain Leon Smith was among the watching admirers and Dolgopolov could do nothing to stem the tide. Facing match point, he dumped a forehand into the net, leaving Evans to look forward to the biggest match of his life.
Source: PA
