Britain’s Dan Evans staged a remarkable comeback to beat Karen Khachanov in the longest match in US Open history, then said: “It was a hell of a match... I just want to go to bed.”
Evans fashioned a brilliant recovery as he came from 4-0 down in the final set to beat 23rd seed Khachanov 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 in five hours and 35 minutes.
The match beat the previous record, set by Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang in 1992, by nine minutes.
An exhausted Evans, who somehow found the mental and physical strength to get over the line in the final set, said: “I just tried to keep fighting. At 4-0, I thought I was out. I felt a little sorry for myself. But I didn’t want to go out from another slam without much fight and with a whimper. I just tried to grab one game at a time.
“It’s the longest I’ve ever been on a court. In the fourth set, I had to check the set to see what set we were in. I wasn’t entirely sure. I don’t really want to do that again, that’s for sure. I was hurting all over.
“It was just a crazy, crazy match. I guess it’s one I’ll remember forever.”
Evans has fallen outside the world’s top 200 in recent weeks, but said winning this kind of match restored some faith after he ended a 10-match tour losing streak in some style.
“I’m immensely proud that I’ve come through the match,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of first rounds this year. It’s nice to win a match. I’m proud that I’m still able to compete. You always have doubts when you’ve been not winning.
Evans will play world No36 Mariano Navone, of Argentina, in the second round. “I’ll be in a bit of discomfort for the next few hours,” he admitted. “I pride myself on being pretty fit, so I should hopefully be okay.”
Jack Draper is also through, after his opponent, Zhang Zhizhen, retired injured, with the Briton leading 6-3, 6-0, 4-0.
