Yorkshire's Edmund prevails against rival Evans

British players have found success hard to come by in recent years in the very competitive second tier of men’s tennis but 21-year-old Edmund has now collected four Challenger titles.

The Yorkshireman, part of Great Britain’s victorious Davis Cup team in November, has begun 2016 in impressive fashion and was too strong for Evans in Dallas, winning 6-3 6-2.

The result should take Beverley-born Edmund past his previous career-high ranking of 88 and also puts him firmly in pole position for next month’s Davis Cup tie against Japan in Evans’s home city of Birmingham.

It has also been a terrific week for Evans, who qualified for the Australian Open last month and will be close to a place in the world’s top 150 when the rankings are updated today.

The only previous all-British Challenger final in the past 20 years came back in 2005, when Alex Bogdanovic defeated Mark Hilton.

Roberto Bautista Agut continued his ruthless run of form to take the Sofia Open crown.

Bautista Agut, who did not relinquish a set in three matches en route to his fourth ATP World Tour title, comfortably brushed aside Viktor Troicki 6-3 6-4 in 82 minutes.

The Spaniard secured his first break in the eighth game of the first set and claimed 80 per cent service points in the opener.

In the second set, Bautista Agut looked to run away with the match after grabbing an immediate break.

Troicki answered in kind with a break back, but the Serb could not hold off his opponent for long and Bautista Agut held his nerve to the finish line to emulate his recent victory in Auckland.

The 27-year-old Bautista Agut is enjoying his best start to an ATP season, with a 12-2 record, two titles and a last-16 place at the Australian Open equalling his best Grand Slam result.