Daniel Evans rallied from 0-4 down within the last set to beat Karen Khachanov within the longest match in US Open historical past on Tuesday, a five-hour, 35-minute epic on courtroom six. In entrance of a energetic crowd, Britain’s Evans beat the twenty third seed from Russia 6-7 (6/8), 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-4. “It was a protracted, lengthy battle,” Evans stated. “I assumed I performed fairly properly for almost all of the match. Clearly I used to be struggling bodily, however so was he. “It was form of who might final the longest ultimately.”
The earlier longest US Open match was Stefan Edberg’s victory over Michael Chang within the 1992 semi-finals, which lasted 5 hours and 26 minutes with Edberg successful 6-7 (3/7), 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-4.
The competition did not look headed for a file when Khachanov grabbed a 4-0 lead within the last set. He then had 4 break factors on Evans’s serve however could not convert.
He rallied, urged on by the group packed into the stands and alongside the concrete walkways alongside the courtroom within the shadow of the large Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“(I) simply tried to scrape little by little,” Evans stated. “Every level I used to be clearly actually combating my legs. On serve I used to be wonderful on return, in order that gave me a little bit of hope.
“Whenever you’re a child, you are simply informed to struggle till the tip. I imply, that is form of rule one. I’ve finished that fairly constantly for my profession. It form of paid off a bit at present.”
Every set lasted greater than an hour, the third stretching to 72 minutes.
It isn’t Evans’s first epic comeback of 2024. He and Andy Murray saved seven match factors in two straight rounds earlier than they had been eradicated within the quarter-finals of the lads’s doubles on the Paris Olympics.
Evans, who gained the 2023 ATP match in Washington, skipped his title defence to compete in Paris, the misplaced rating factors inflicting his rating to plummet.
“I am immensely proud that I got here by the match,” stated Evans, who hasn’t made it previous the second spherical of a match this yr.
“My rating has dropped. I assumed I might (win), but it surely’s simpler stated than finished. You may all the time suppose it, however you have to go on the market and do it.”
Evans stated he would give himself a break after the marathon, which left him “hurting throughout”.
“I do not suppose I’ve performed 5 hours in a day ever in two periods, by no means thoughts in a single,” he stated with amusing. “I used to be truly considering that on the courtroom. I’ve by no means practiced two hours. It is usually an hour and a half.
“We’ll see,” he stated of what to anticipate for his second-round match towards Argentina’s Mariano Navone.
“I am going to clearly be in a little bit of discomfort for the following few hours, 12 hours, 48 hours, no matter. I pleasure myself on being fairly match, so I ought to hopefully be OK.”
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