MONTE CARLO: Novak Djokovic crashed out of the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday following an “awful performance” in a 6-4, 7-5 defeat by Dan Evans, while 11-time champion Rafael Nadal powered into the quarter-finals.
World number one Djokovic was broken five times by the Briton in their last-16 clash and suffered his first loss of the year, having won the Australian Open for the ninth time in February.
The 33rd-ranked Evans, who dumped out this month’s Miami Open winner Hubert Hurkacz in the previous round, will play 11th seed David Goffin for a place in the semi-finals.
Goffin beat US Open runner-up Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6 (9/7) earlier in the day.
An out-of-sorts Djokovic produced an uncharacteristic 45…
