The US Open’s history has been rewritten, after the first-round marathon match between Great Britain’s Daniel Evans and No. 23 seed Karen Khachanov clocked in at an astounding 5 hours and 35 minutes, making it the longest match in the history of the US Open.
The Day 2 match between the pair, which ended in Evans' favor 6-7(8), 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4, surpassed the record for the longest match by nine minutes.
The previous record for the longest match in Flushing Meadows was a 1992 men’s singles semifinal between American Michael Chang and Stefan Edberg. The Swede defeated Chang in a 5 hour, 26-minute match, to clinch his spot in the men’s final, where he went on to win the title against Pete Sampras.
Evans' win was similarly notable: It kept Evans' perfect record in Round 1 of the US Open in tact. The former world No. 21, now ranked No. 184, won the last six games of the match.
"I was trying to just play, stay out there as long as possible at 4-Love and just see where I could get myself," the Brit said post-match.
"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 was in. I wasn't entirely sure what set we was in."
Other Longest Matches in US Open History
- Time: 5:26 - Stefan Edberg def. Michael Chang (SF, 1992) - 6-7(3), 7-5, 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-4
- Time: 5:15 - Carlos Alcaraz def. Jannik Sinner (QF, 2022) - 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-3
- Time: 5:09 - Sargis Sargsian def. Nicolas Massu (R2, 2004) - 6-7, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4
"[It's an] amazing feeling to have come through the match. The irony, I've played him probably more than anybody on the tour as well. I've played him so many times," he continued. "I'll be proud. I'll obviously be proud. Yeah, it's just a crazy, crazy match. I guess it's one I'll remember obviously forever. I don't really know. I can't put it into words right now.
"[The memories] will be obviously something of happiness. There will be no bad thoughts."
