Marathon man Dan Evans proud of his win
Dan Evans was “immensely proud” after climbing off the canvas to win the longest match played at the US Open, but is not keen to repeat the feat any time soon.
Evans looked dead and buried against Russian Karen Khachanov when a gruelling encounter in blistering conditions took its toll and he trailed 4-0 in the fifth-set decider.
But the 34-year-old, whose season has been disrupted by injury, poor form and prioritising the Olympics, launched the ultimate comeback, winning six games in a row to claim an amazing 6-7 (6) 7-6 (2) 7-6 (4) 4-6 6-4 victory.
It took a mammoth five hours 35 minutes, breaking a 32-year-old record at Flushing Meadows set when Stefan Edberg beat Michael Chang in five hours and 26 minutes in 1992.
“I think when you’re a kid, you’re just told to fight until the end,” he said. “That’s sort of rule one. I’ve done that pretty consistently for my career. It sort of paid off a bit today.
“I’m immensely proud that I came through the match. I think that’s the overriding feeling more than anything. I’ve had a lot of first rounds this year. It’s nice to win a match.
“Of course, it’s a special match to win in what fashion, or however you want to say. But I’m proud that I’m still able to compete.
“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 what set we were in.
“But I don’t really want to do that again. That’s for sure.”
British No.1s Jack Draper and Katie Boulter also advanced, but Emma Raducanu was beaten in the first round by former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in three sets.
