Tesni Evans saw her bid to win the Monte Carlo Classic end in defeat after an 68-minute scrap in the final on Friday night.

The 26-year-old was beaten in five sets by rival Laura Massaro who gained some revenge for defeats to her Welsh foe this year.

Evans, seeded two for the $18,000 event, lost the first set 11-9 but hit back against the top seed to take the second 13-11.

Massaro regained the advantage 11-9 in the third but Cardiff-born Evans responded by winning the fourth set 11-7.

But in the final set Massaro took it 11-3 to claim her third victory in Monte Carlo and the 23rd PSA world Tour title of her career.

Tesni Evans . . . Top Ten On The Planet And You’ve Probably Just Walked Past Her

Rhyl-based Evans’ victories over Massaro have included at the worlds inManchester and when on her way to her maiden British Championship title in February.

Evans also beat Massaro in a tetchy Commonwealth Games contest in April before she took the bronze medal in Australia.

But the Great Yarmouth player, ranked one place above Evans at eight in the current world rankings, came out on top this time