Dan Evans beat Karen Khachanov on a roaring Court 6 to win the longest match in U.S. Open history, timed at five hours, 35 minutes.
The Briton won 6-7(8), 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4, clinching the match on a rally of blurry attrition as both players pushed each other to their limits.
What began as a compelling first-round tie between two of the most solid Grand Slam early-rounders on the ATP Tour slowly turned into a moment in history as the sun sunk behind the bleachers at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. On the banks of Courts 4, 5 and 6 the viewing gallery was full and the concrete gangways turned into viewing galleries, themselves as Evans and Khachanov forced each other into U.S. Open history.
Dan Evans came into New York off the back of the Olympics, where he sacrificed 500 ranking points to play with Andy Murray. (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
The previous longest match at the U.S. Open, was five hours, 26 minutes set by Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang in their 1992 semifinal.
Evans had looked beaten when down 0-4 and facing more break points in the final set, but he rallied to pull off a stunning comeback — helped by a packed crowd that was largely cheering for him. The turnaround follows his run to the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Andy Murray, where the British pair twice won having been down multiple match points. Evans is truly the comeback kid this summer.
It’s also a very welcome win for the Briton, after his appearance at the Olympics meant missing the Citi Open in Washington, D.C.
Skipping the event meant that he lost his 500 ranking points from winning it in 2023. His world ranking subsequently plummeted by 111 spots, from No. 58 to No. 169. This win will help Evans as he looks to battle his way back into the world’s top 100.
For Khachanov, the defeat will be a bitter blow against an opponent to whom he has now lost in all five of their meetings.
