Dan Evans's summer began with his comeback from suspension happening down the road at Scotstoun, and it ends with him scoring his best victory since the enforced hiatus in his career.
This time it was the Davis Cup at the Emirates Arena, before a crowd of around 4,000 rather than the smattering in the small stand for the qualifying rounds at a Challenger event.
And he responded by beating world number 60 Denis Istomin in four hours and eleven minutes, 7-6 4-6 0-6 6-4 7-5, putting Great Britain 1-0 up in this World Group play-off against Uzbekistan.
Dan Evans claimed a breathless five-set victory over Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin on Friday
He is in Great Britain colours for the first time in over a year following a drugs ban
It was one against the head, and placed GB in a strong position going into Friday night's second rubber, which had acting British number one Cameron Norrie up against the visitors' second player, Jurabek Karimov.
They are changing the format of this competition next year, cutting these matches to best-of-three sets, so Evans will go down as one of the last players ever to go tennis's full distance in the 118 year-old competition.
Right up to the dying days of the old system, the Davis Cup shows its capacity to write some great stories. In this case it is of the so-called 'Bad Boy' of the British game making his return to the team after a ban for taking cocaine, and probably striking the defining blow in this match.
All that is at stake in this stage of transition is whether GB gets a seeding for next February's eliminator round, although you would not have known it as Evans tried to close out a sixth match point against a player who has done something the absent Andy Murray has never managed – beating Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.
The 28-year-old looked down and out when Istomin took a 2-1 lead in Glasgow
The build-up to the match featured a goodwill message on the big screen from Murray, who is continuing his rehab work in the United States. Four and a quarter hours later the 28 year-old Midlander wrapped up victory with a forehand return winner that he nailed into the corner.
'It's good to be back, especially here in Glasgow' said Evans. 'We've had so many good ties and for this to maybe be the last one is pretty fitting for me.'
This was a reward for coming through the empty days of the ban, and the hard work that has been required to bring his ranking up to number 222 with minimal wildcard assistance.
'It's been tough without doubt. You keep yourself going for days like today. I might not get in the team next time so I'll have to remember this one.'
Evans fought back to win 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 0-6, 6-4, 7-5 to put Great Britain ahead in the tie
This was Evans's 41st match since he stepped back on court on April 28 at Scotstoun, which includes the five that it took in a fruitless bid to qualify for Wimbledon.
Last weekend Istomin won a strong Challenger event in Chicago, and while imbued with that confidence he was occasionally sluggish against the neat all-court game of the British player, pressed into service in the absence of Murray and Kyle Edmund, whose no-shows depressed the attendance.
Evans should have won the second set, creating ample break points to do the job. By the time Istomin somehow levelled the home player had managed to clinch only one in thirteen of them.
The disappointment weighed heavily and he crumbled in the third, winning only seven points. Continually buoyed by the loyal following this time has built up – many of whom are unhappy with the coming changes – Evans took the fourth with a break to love at the end of it.
It placed GB in a strong position going into Friday's second rubber involving Cameron Norrie
He had not played a five-setter since narrowly losing to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka at the 2016 US Open, but fashioned six match points when the bespectacled Uzbek served at 5-6 down in the decider.
Five went begging in an agonising last game until the sixth, when Evans finally delivered a stinging return.
He had made light of the defining hindrance of British tennis, which is the continuing lack of players who can compete at the elite level.
It was therefore interesting to note that, at the current Futures event in Nottingham, Jack Draper has made it through to today's final, and is set to become the only 16 year-old in the world with ranking inside the top 1,000.
Linkhienalouca.comhttps://hienalouca.com/2018/09/14/dan-evans-makes-stunning-davis-cup-return-with-win-over-denis-istomin/
Main photo article Dan Evans’s summer began with his comeback from suspension happening down the road at Scotstoun, and it ends with him scoring his best victory since the enforced hiatus in his career.
This time it was the Davis Cup at the Emirates Arena, before a crowd of around 4,000 rather than the...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
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