Dan Evans has missed out on his first ATP Tour title after suffering a straight-sets defeat to Gilles Muller in the Apia International final.
The British number three had recorded four successive three-set victories to move to the brink of a maiden top-tier crown, but he ran out of steam against the big-serving Muller, who emerged as a 7-6 6-2 winner.
Muller was the dominant player throughout the 89-minute contest, with Evans winning just seven points on his opponent's serve and having to fend off two break-point opportunities in order to progress through to an opening-set tie-break.
Evans held the advantage at 4-3 but Muller played the big points well and after taking the breaker 7-5, he broke twice on the way to easing his way to the second set and the title.
Despite the defeat, Evans will move up to a career-high 51 in the world rankings but he now has less than 48 hours to prepare for his first-round match with Facundo Bagnis at the Australian Open.
Darren Plant
