Davis Cup captain Leon Smith believes Britain's Dan Evans is in the form of his life ahead of his US Open showdown with Stan Wawrinka.
Evans takes on the two-time grand slam champion in the third round at Flushing Meadows, after recording a surprise win over world number 28 Alexander Zverev on Thursday.
The victory continues an upward trajectory for the British number two, who was ranked 333rd in the world last year and had only once before beaten a top-30 player at a major tournament.
Now, Evans is closing in on the top 50, his Zverev triumph coming close behind wins over Grigor Dimitrov and Alexandr Dolgopolov this summer, currently ranked 24th and 57th respectively.
"Dan over the years has had some flashpoints where he's been at an unbelievable level but the rankings of the players he's beating now are higher," Smith told Press Association Sport.
"Dolgopolov, Dimitrov, Zverev, these are very, very good players so his consistency is much, much better."
For a long time Evans, by his own admission, failed to feed his talent with the commitment it deserved but he shows greater maturity now, and is starting to reap the rewards.
He broke into the top 100 for the first time in April and has so far matched his best ever grand slam run in New York.
"The number one most important thing is he decided he wanted to play tennis properly," Smith said.
"It doesn't matter who was in his ear telling him he had ability, telling him he could have a career, that doesn't matter. It's got to come from within.
"It's lovely when you have an 18-year-old kid who wants to be a pro and they dedicate themselves straight away. They're on it and that's great but for others it takes longer.
"For Dan it took him until he was 25 years old to say, 'I want to do this'."
Evans has already picked up US dollars 140,000 for making the third round here, but it is a mark of his sharpened focus that he glowed more about the rankings points collected.
Smith has noticed a number of changes in Evans' approach.
"It's everything," Smith said. " In some Futures and Challengers you maybe don't have to bring your 'A' game straight away. Here, first round he's on it.
"He's practising well, more often, more consistently. He's invested in his own trainer back in Birmingham and Dan has taken him on the road with him a few times.
"He used to never do these sorts of trips. This is his eighth week away. No chance that happened before. You'd get a call after a couple of weeks and Evo would be going home."
Evans conceded Wawrinka would be a "big step up in class" on Saturday, even from the talented Zverev, but the Swiss has endured a mixed few months.
"When you're playing someone that good some things have to align for you," Smith added.
"If Stan plays his best tennis, he's very good, that's why he's a grand slam champion. But Dan has enough in his game to cause problems, there's no doubt about that."
There is also the issue of Davis Cup team selection. Britain host Argentina in the semi-finals later this month and Smith must pick between Evans and Kyle Edmund for the second singles spot.
"It's great for us," Smith said. "For many years we were just about Andy Murray.
"Now to have three of them in the third round here and Kyle and Evo ranked in the 60s it's a much better picture.
"I'd much rather be picking a team based on players in form rather than going on gut feeling because you hope someone might be able to create an upset."
Source: PA
