In the longest match in US Open history, Dan Evans overtakes four legends

Dan Evans overtook four of the biggest names in tennis history as he made US Open history in a dramatic first-round match.

Evans recovered from a seemingly hopeless position against Russian Karen Khachanov, trailing 0-4 and 15-40 in the fifth set, and somehow managed to find a way to victory.

The 34-year-old, whose season was marred by injuries, poor form and prioritising the Olympics, launched the ultimate comeback, winning six games in a row to claim an astonishing 6-7 (6) 7-6 (2) 7-6 (4) 4-6 6-4 victory.

The time required was a massive five hours and 35 minutes, breaking a 32-year-old record set in 1992 at Flushing Meadows when Stefan Edberg defeated Michael Chang in five hours and 26 minutes.

How Evans fares after this marathon remains to be seen, but he will cherish his part in history, which was also his first Grand Slam victory in 2024.

If he had taken his chances, he could easily have won in two sets, but in the first set, which he eventually lost, he missed seven set points.

However, Evans pulled himself together and won the next two sets, both in tiebreaks, in a turbulent battle.

The fourth set seemed decisive, and when Khachanov broke at 4:4, the deciding set was perfect.

Evans was visibly physically exhausted at this point and his mood worsened after he suffered a blow in the opening game when he smashed his racket on the ground.

The Russian smelled blood and seemed to have put himself in an unassailable position when he led 4-0 in the deciding set.

But despite being out of action between points and barely able to walk, Evans somehow managed to win six games in a row, setting a record.

US Open News

The court of public opinion has voted on Jannik Sinner’s doping tests – and the verdict is unanimous

John McEnroe reveals why ‘favorite’ Carlos Alcaraz may not win the US Open

“I haven’t played much tennis this year, I’ve just tried to keep fighting,” Evans said

“At 4-0 I thought I was out – I felt a bit sorry for myself and tried to get back into the swing of things. I didn’t want to go out of the Grand Slam without a lot of fighting spirit again and I could see he was struggling a bit. I’ve got a bad headache now so I need to get rid of that.

“I’m really happy, it was an amazing game. It was unbelievable, when it was 4-2 the crowd really started to go wild. I don’t know how many Brits are here, but it seemed like everyone wanted me to win and I don’t think that’s ever happened before.”

This match has now gone down in US Open history as the longest in the history of this great tournament, and with this victory Evans surpassed four icons of the sport.

Before this match, Stefan Edberg defeated Michael Chang in an epic semifinal in the longest match of the 1992 US Open.

After five hours and 26 minutes, Edberg finally defeated his American rival 6:7 (3:7), 7:5, 7:6 (7:3), 5:7, 6:4, setting the record for the longest match in the last 32 years.

The second longest match was played two years ago when Carlos Alcaraz scored an epic victory against Jannik Sinner on his way to winning the title.

Evans doesn’t believe he can follow in Alcaraz’s epic win as he appeared exhausted after the match.

But when Evans retires, this game will surely be remembered as one of his finest victories.