by Owen Linnett
Day One at the Qube Liverpool International Tennis Tournament was a huge success, delivering entertaining tennis, packed crowds and glorious sunshine at Liverpool Cricket Club.
Former British number one Dan Evans and Liam Broady were in action, as well as some young British talent in the form of Conor Brady and the Ward brothers.
Spectators piled into the venue from midday and stayed long after the tennis had finished to enjoy everything the event had to offer.
We have a full report of the action below.
Herman Hoyeraal (NOR) / Conor Brady (GBR) vs George Ward (GBR) / Freddy Ward (GBR)
The first match of the 2026 event set the bar high for what the Liverpool crowd should expect to see across the three days.
Herman Hoyeraal and Conor Brady defeated twins George and Freddy Ward in a closely contested match that ended 6-4, 6-3.
Hoyeraal impressed with his big serve and looked like a natural grass court player, despite having never competed on the surface before.
The first set went with serve up until the final game, when the six-foot-six Norwegian and his partner Brady managed to break the Wards and take control of the match.
As the second set began, all four players seemed to feel more at home and started to entertain the crowd with some more daring shots.
From underarm serves to tweener lobs, this doubles clash certainly delivered on entertainment value.
Hoyeraal and Brady then managed to secure an early break at 2-1, before seeing the match out and claiming a straight sets victory.
Despite their loss, the Ward brothers brought great value to the fans watching on at Liverpool Cricket Club with their positive on-court attitude.
The 19-year-olds have recently been training with legendary American doubles team Mike and Bob Bryan in the USA as they look to carve out a career in professional tennis as a pair.
George said: “I want to play doubles with Freddy instead of singles because when I’m happiest is when he is by my side and we’re together on the court.”
Dan Evans (GBR) vs Ivan Ivanov (BUL)
The first singles match of the day was a battle between new and old.
Former British number one Dan Evans faced off against the 2025 Wimbledon Boys’ champion Ivan Ivanov, with both players making their debuts at the Qube Liverpool International Tennis Tournament.
On this occasion, it was the youth that pulled through as Ivanov, under the guidance of the prestigious Rafa Nadal Academy, earned a well-fought 6-3, 6-3 victory over the British veteran.
The match began at a high intensity, with both players holding serve in front of a packed centre court.
But at 3-2, Ivanov broke the Evans serve in a game that saw an impressive 10 deuces before the Bulgarian took a two-game lead.
A similar pattern followed in the second set, with the 17-year-old getting the better of his opponent’s service game at 3-3.
The Brit, who was once ranked as high as 21st in the world, was using the tournament for grass court practice ahead of next week’s Wimbledon qualifying at Roehampton.
In fact, there could be a repeat of today’s match in a few days’ time, with Ivanov looking to make the step up to play at a men’s grand slam.
The crowd had the opportunity to watch one of British tennis’ most recognisable figures for one of the last time’s, with Evans set to retire following Wimbledon later this summer.
But, despite losing to Ivanov, fans will have another opportunity to watch the Birmingham-born man as he will be back in action for day two of the tournament on Friday, which is also Ladies’ Day.
Liam Broady (GBR) vs Herman Hoyeraal (NOR)
The sun had disappeared for the final, and perhaps most competitive, match of the day.
Those on centre court had the pleasure of witnessing a battle between Liam Broady, who defeated world number four Casper Ruud at Wimbledon just three years ago, and Herman Hoyeraal.
Broady secured a 7-6(5), 6-4 win over his Norwegian opponent as he builds up to join Evans and Ivanov in qualifying for the third Grand Slam of the year.
Hoyeraal was playing his second match of the day, after winning in the doubles earlier, but he came out with the same level of intensity and an even better serve quality.
There was very little between the pair in the first set, with zero breaks of serve and some entertaining points played.
However, the former world number 93 managed to edge out the tiebreak 7-5.
The off-court relationship between Broady and his fellow Brit, Evans, was clear to see during the second set with the pair pointing to each other when a good shot was played.
Hoyeraal continued to serve bravely and recorded three aces in the first two service games of the next set. He claims that his fastest ever serve was 238 km/h, or 147 mph!
Despite this, Broady managed to get the only break of serve in the match at 2-2 and went on to cruise to victory against a tough competitor.
Speaking after the match, he outlined his love for the Qube Liverpool International Tennis Tournament and praised his opponent.
Broady said: “With Wimbledon qualifying round the corner and a tough schedule, there really is nowhere better to prepare than here for us.
”I really enjoyed it today and Herman played well too.
“He can have a great future on grass, especially with a serve as big as that.”
