Dan Evans facing a tall Davis Cup order

DAN EVANS will again be a big underdog when he attempts to pull off another Davis Cup upset against Belgium’s Olivier Rochus later today – but for once he will also be the big man.

At 5ft 9in in a sport dominated by six-footers, the 21-year-old frequently finds himself dwarfed by opponents and fighting an unequal power struggle.

But when he takes to the court at Glasgow’s Braehead Arena for the second singles match in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I tie this afternoon, he will have three inches of height advantage over Rochus. Evans said: “It is strange to be taller than one of the players. There’ll be a lot of long rallies tomorrow, which I think will favour me.”

What Evans makes up in height he more than loses in rankings, though, with world No. 59 Rochus almost 300 places above the Birmingham player, who sits down at 344.

But Evans knows such gaps are not insurmountable having been the hero of Britain’s last tie against Slovakia at the same venue in February, when he won both his rubbers against significantly higher ranked foes.