British number one Dan Evans reached the second round of Wimbledon with a straight-set win over Feliciano Lopez.

The 31-year-old will next face Dusan Lajovic of Serbia, who he beat in Monte Carlo in April.

“It was great. It’s amazing to be back playing at Wimbledon again. I didn’t realise it was going to be as busy,” Evans said.

“I’m delighted to win. I played some good tennis.

“The first set I was probably a bit too into myself, once I let go a bit I really got rolling.

“It was a good mental effort.”

Evans’ British compatriots Francesca Jones, Harriet Dart and Jay Clarke could not join him in the second round however, all falling to defeats on a rain-affected day at Wimbledon.

Cam Norrie’s game against Lucas Pouille was suspended with the Frenchman a set ahead – 7-6 (8-6) – due to bad light.

Evans wins tight encounter

It was the second meeting between Evans and 39-year-old Lopez, who has appeared at every Grand Slam since the 2002 French Open.

Their first was one to forget for Evans, a three-set thrashing in the first round of the Australian Open in 2016.

But this time it was a much closer affair from the start, with world number 26 Evans needing a tie-break to close out a tight first set in which both scuppered break points.

He slowly, but surely, took control in the second set, twice breaking Lopez’s serve in a five-game winning run as the Spaniard made a number of unforced errors.

The third set was closely-matched too, Evans staving off two break points from Lopez before avoiding another tie-break by capitalising on his first match point.

Victory at the All England Club marks his first win at a Grand Slam in 2021, ending a four-match losing streak.

Jones, Dart and Clarke out in first round

It was a momentous day for world number 211 Jones, as she made her Wimbledon debut against 20th seed Coco Gauff.

It was not to have the fairytale ending though. Delayed by several hours due to rain, the wildcard was beaten 7-5 6-4 by the 17-year-old American.

Jones was born with a rare genetic condition – ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia syndrome – meaning she was born with three fingers and a thumb on each hand, three toes on her right foot and four toes on her left.

She was told by doctors she would never have a professional tennis career but has now reached the main draw of two Grand Slams, having played in the first round in Australia earlier this year.

“Today was a great experience, but obviously bittersweet in the fact that I created chances and at the end of the day I’ll be the one going home,” said Jones.

“I’m going to keep building. I just competed with someone that made quarters of Roland Garros, is 20 in the world, has multiple WTA titles, and (I) felt comfortable on the court.

“I know sooner or later I’ll find myself in a position where I won’t need a wildcard.”

Tuesday’s match marked a welcome return to SW19 for Gauff, who, then just 15 years old, announced her arrival on the scene at Wimbledon two years ago with a stunning run to the fourth round which included victory over Venus Williams.

“I was super nervous coming in,” said Gauff. “I’m just happy that I was able to come through with the win.”

Earlier, 24-year-old Dart also bowed out early with a 6-1 6-3 loss to Elise Mertens.

Dart reached the third round as a wildcard in 2019 but could not repeat that run this year with a tough opening tie against the Belgian 13th seed.

“It was always going to be a challenging match against a very experienced player,” Dart said. “She’s the ranking she is because she can consistently play at that level.

“There was definitely some positives to take. Overall, a little bit disappointed.”

In the men’s singles, Jay Clarke was beaten 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 by Belarusian Egor Gerasimov.