ATP
Brit marathon man Evo sets USO match record
Dan Evans ended a two-match summer loss streak in spectacular fashion on Tuesday as he and Karen Khachanov set a record for the longest match ever played at the US Open.
The first-round test, won by Evans 6-8 (8), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4, lasted for five hours, 35 minutes. The previous longest was a 1992 semi-final where Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang, a marathon which ran nine minutes shorter.
Evans recovered from 0-4 in the fifth set to advance as Khachanov could not convert on four break points on tiny outside court 6..
Evans came to New York with a poor 4-17 record in ATP matches and had not won at a Grand Slam since a year ago here when he reached the third round.
“I nearly blew it at the end, I just tried to keep fighting.
“I felt a bit sorry for myself but I didn’t want to go out without a fight,” he told British media.
“I could see he was struggling a bit so I just tried to grab a game. I haven’t played a lot of tennis this season and have been a bit hurt.
“Maybe I had a bit of luck at the end. It was a hell of a match.”