US Open 2023: Dan Evans ready for Carlos Alcaraz in New York

Britain’s Dan Evans says he will be reminding himself Spanish top seed Carlos Alcaraz is a “normal person” when they meet in the US Open third round on Saturday.

“Alcaraz is an unbelievable player but what’s the point of me going out there and thinking I’ve got no right to beat him?” said 26th seed Evans.

Katie Boulter, Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper are also in third-round action.

Boulter, who is Britain’s leading women’s player, faces American world number 59 Peyton Stearns.

British men’s number one Norrie, seeded 16th, plays US Open debutant Matteo Arnaldi of Italy and the winner will face Evans or Alcaraz.

Like Boulter, hugely talented Draper is looking to reach the last 16 of a major for the first time when he plays American wildcard Michael Mmoh at 16:00.

‘Alcaraz does the same as me when he gets out of bed’

Few will be backing Evans to cause the biggest shock of the tournament so far and match his career-best run to the fourth round in 2021.

Evans will be drawing on the experience of a surprise victory against then-world number one Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo two years ago.

“When I play on the tour I don’t think about what ranking people are. I genuinely don’t. They’re normal people,” said the British men’s number two.

“To put it frankly they do exactly the same as what all of us do in the morning when they get out of bed.

“What is important is realising they’re very good at what they do, but they still get nervous. That’s what’s helped me when I’ve played better players.

“I won’t be thinking when I’m out there ‘he’s number one in the world, I can’t win this match’. I have to hope I can put my game on the court and get myself into a good position.”

Evans has lost his two previous matches against 20-year-old Alcaraz, first on an indoor hard court in Vienna two years ago, and on clay in the Barcelona semi-finals earlier this year.

The latest defeat was the catalyst for a seven-match losing streak on the ATP Tour, which he snapped by winning the biggest title of his career in Washington last month.

A strange season continued…