Britain’s Daniel Evans beat Karen Khachanov, the 23rd seed from Russia 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-4 in the longest match of the US Open tennis.
The epic encounter between Evans and Khachanov on court 6 lasted five-hour, 35-minute in the first round of US Open 2024.
“It’s just a crazy, crazy match,” Evans expressed his emotions. “I guess it’s one I’ll remember obviously forever.”
34-year-old Evans was 4-0 down in the tie-breaker but gathered momentum at the end to prevail over the Russian opponent .
History Made at US Open 2024
What began as an engrossing first-round tie between two of the most formidable early-rounders at Grand Slams on the ATP Tour slowly turned into a historic moment in tennis at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Khachanov was dominant early in the final set, quickly taking a 4-0 lead and earning four break points on Evans’s serve.
Evans, who hasn’t progressed through the second round of a tournament this year, said, “I’m immensely proud that I came through the match.
“I don’t think I’ve played five hours in a day ever in two sessions, never mind in one. I was actually thinking that on the court. I’ve never practiced for two hours. It’s normally an hour and a half”, he added.
Evans battled injuries in 2024 in what has been a challenging year for him. He arrived in New York just 4-17 this season and Tuesday’s fight would help restore the much-needed confidence in him.
Evans had made it to the quarterfinals at the men’s doubles event at the Paris Olympics 2024 along with pair and fellow-Brit Andy Murray. Both saved seven match points in two straight rounds before they were eliminated in the quarters.
The previous longest US Open match was Stefan Edberg’s victory over Michael Chang in the 1992 semi-finals, which lasted five hours and 26 minutes with Edberg winning 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-4.
Also Read: 5 Greatest Tennis Matches Of All Time
The longest match in the modern era at any top-level tennis tournament was American John Isner’s victory over Frenchman Nicolas Mahut at 2010 Wimbledon which went for 11 hours, 5 minutes. It was spread over three days and ended 70-68 in the fifth set.
