In the longest US Open match, Evans recovers from a 0-4 deficit in the fifth set

The outdoor tennis in the first rounds of the four majors never disappoints and history was made on Tuesday at the US Open.

On Court 6, right in the shadow of Arthur Ashe Stadium, Dan Evans and Karen Khachanov played the longest match ever at this prestigious event. What began as a relatively unspectacular match between two struggling players who have not exactly caused a stir on the tour developed into a memorable marathon in which Evans defeated Khachanov 6-7(6), 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4. It lasted… wait… five hours and 35 minutes.

The longest US Open to date was a men’s singles semifinal in 1992 between Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang, which Edberg won in a measly five hours and 26 minutes with scores of 6:7(3), 7:5, 7:6(3), 5:7 and 6:4.

Evans vs. Khachanov was an exciting match that far surpassed this thriller.

Tuesday’s clash also ended with one of the most improbable fifth-set comebacks in history. Evans was 0-4 down in the fifth set and was one point away from falling 0-5 down four times. He was 40-15 down in the fifth game but fended off four break points to win 1-4.

That seemed to give Evans a second wind – or maybe it was a ninth and tenth wind at this point in the match – and made the Russian reflect on the fatigue in his legs. With Khachanov now reeling, Evans broke twice in a row to level the score at 4-4. In the ninth game, the British veteran again fended off a break point and held his ball for a 5-4 lead.

From then on, it was all over for Khachanov, although he scored two of his best points in the fifth set, fending off match points at 0-40 and 15-40. Finally, Evans took advantage of his third chance by scoring a perfect point that forced his opponent into a backhand error.

“It was about who could last the longest at the end,” Evans said during his press conference. “I just kept fighting. I tried to take it one step at a time. As a kid, you’re told you have to fight to the end. That’s rule number one. I’ve done that my whole career. Today, it kind of paid off.”

“I just kept looking at the clock and trying to hold on, hold on. It was crazy. It was just a crazy, crazy game. It’s obviously a game I’ll remember forever.”

And he should, because it was a match that lasted forever.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also runs his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.