Hot stuff: Aussie ends Brit star’s career at Wimbledon

Ian Chadband | June 25, 2026

Tristan Schoolkate has become Australia’s Wimbledon party pooper, bringing down the curtain on the singles career of British favourite Dan Evans on one of the Championships’ most sweltering days.

Amid a rare extreme heat alert in the UK on the hottest June day on record, the Aussie men came out to play at qualifying in sun-baked Roehampton, with Chris O’Connell and Dane Sweeny also progressing to the final round.

But pride of place went to Perth’s Schoolkate who ensured 36-year-old Evans, GB’s former Davis Cup champion and Andy Murray’s 2024 Olympic doubles partner, wasn’t able to land his dream of one final singles outing at the All England Club next week.

Schoolkate wouldn’t be denied, either by the partisan home crowd, soaring temperatures in the mid-thirties or an hour-long suspension caused by a power problem to ‌the automated line-calling system as he overpowered Evans 7-5 6-0, leaving the Briton to concede “he was just too good”.

But the 25-year-old Australian, now just a win away from a Wimbledon main draw debut, recognised whose day it was as he applauded Evans off court and then offered the maverick British talent, who’ll still be at Wimbledon in the men’s doubles, a glowing tribute.  

“Dan’s a phenomenal player. I wish him all the best after his career. I looked up to guys like him for a long time,” said Schoolkate, who reeled off the last eight games in a row.

“So much of tennis nowadays is ‘same old, same old’, but watching him, the way he jinks it around, his slice is amazing, and a great competitor. So many young kids can learn a lot from Dan.

“I know the crowd were supporting him, but it’s nice to hear some claps my way too and I played a phenomenal second set after that heat delay, so happy with that.”

Schoolkate had just left the court for a comfort break after taking the first set and by the time he returned, the line-calling system had gone down, with no-one quite clear if the searing heat might have been responsible on a day when all the ball kids were kept at home because it was too .

“It’s not usually this hot in London, so it was unexpected,” admitted the world No.147. “It was a bit of a strange break. I knew that my body might pull up a little better than his, but just glad I came out of the gates pretty hot when we resumed.”

Schoolkate will next face Colombian Nicolas Mejia, ranked 21 places below him, in a five-setter for one of the coveted 16 extra men’s places in the main draw. 

New Nottingham Open champ O’Connell continued his stellar week, ending try-try-and-try again Bernie Tomic’s hopes with a 6-4 6-4 win and now faces tough American Mackenzie McDonald for his Wimbledon spot.

Sweeny’s teenage US opponent Darwin Blanch retired in the third set when 2-6 7-6 (9-7) 4-0 down, with the Gold Coast player now up against Chilean Tomas Barrios Vera in his qualification decider.

But there’ll be no Aussie women joining the five already in the main draw after teenage star Emerson Jones succumbed 5-7 6-4 6-3 to Anastasia Gasanova, and Storm Hunter put up a fierce battle from 5-2 down in the final set before losing 5-7 6-1 7-5 to another Russian, Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Australians already qualified for Wimbledon had a poor day in their final warm-up events. 

Adam Walton lost 6-4 7-5 to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Mallorca Open last-16, while Ajla Tomljanovic, beaten 6-2 5-7 6-4 by Czech Tereza Valentova, and Kim Birrell, defeated 6-1 6-4 by Croatian Petra Marcinko, both failed to make the quarters of the Eastbourne Open.