Kyle Edmund wins Battle of Britain to book Rafael Nadal test in Monte Carlo

The pair were separated by just one spot in the ATP rankings prior to the clash, but once Edmund recovered from an early wobble he charged to a 7-5 6-1 victory in 80 minutes.

Evans picked up his first win on clay since 2013 in the Davis Cup dead rubber against France’s Julien Benneteau earlier in April – albeit a match that saw him briefly face three players as his opponents took it semi-seriously.

Still, it looked to have had a positive impact as he raced into an early 4-1 lead in the first set on his unfavoured surface.

However, Edmund soon found his stride to reel off 12 of the next 14 games to book a duel with fourth seed Rafael Nadal.