At first glance, the Round 1 matchup between Dan Evans and 23-seed Karen Khachanov didn't raise many eyebrows when the 2024 US Open brackets were released.
When the two met on Court 6 at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday, few could have anticipated they were in for one of the longest matches in tournament history.
Yet that's exactly what England's Evans and Russia's Khachanov put together, as they played a memorable five-set thriller that captivated spectators both in person and on national television.
Here's everything to know about the longest match in US Open history, including how Evans and Khachanov set the record in a marathon contest.
MORE: Live tennis scores, full draw, bracket at Flushing Meadows
What is the longest match in US Open history?
Evans and Khachanov played a hard-fought five sets in Queens in front of a crowd that grew significantly as word got around about the marathon match. The contest featured three tiebreaks and lasted five hours and 35 minutes, setting the record for longest match ever at a US Open tournament.
After dropping the first set to Khachanov, Evans won the second and third only to give the Russian one back in the fourth. It all came down to a fifth set that would decide the winner with over five hours of play already behind them.
The 34-year-old Brit won the match on a 40-second rally after going down 4-0 in the final set. Ranked 184th in the world, Evans was not expected to beat Khachanov, who is ranked in the top 25. Nevertheless, both players showed fight and resilience throughout the first-round meeting.
5 HOURS AND 35 MINUTES!!!
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 27, 2024
Take a bow, Dan Evans and Karen Khachanov 👏 pic.twitter.com/noiPnkVDGU
Every set exceeded an hour, with the third set marking the longest at 72 minutes. In an interview with Sky Sports after the win, Evans said: "I just want to go to bed," emphasizing the toll the match took on his body.
"I nearly blew it at the end, but I'm really happy," he added. "It was a hell of a match."
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Longest matches in US Open history
Tuesday's matchup tops the list of exceedingly lengthy US Open matches, becoming the fifth contest at Flushing Meadows to hit the five-hour mark. Notably, this year's No. 1 and No. 3 seeds, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, played in the third-longest match in tournament history just two years ago.
Here are the longest matches in US Open history, according to Sportskeeda.
| Rank | Year | Matchup | Results | Time |
| 1 | 2024 | Dan Evans vs. (23) Karen Khachanov | 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-4 | 5:35 |
| 2 | 1992 | (2) Stefan Edberg vs. (4) Michael Chang | 6-7 (3-7), 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-4 | 5:26 |
| 3 | 2022 | (3) Carlos Alcaraz vs. (11) Jannik Sinner | 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 6-7 (0-7), 7-5, 6-3 | 5:15 |
| 4 | 2004 | (10) Nicolas Massu vs. Sargis Sargsian | 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 4-6 | 5:04 |
| 5 | 1992 | (9) Ivan Lendl vs. (7) Boris Becker | 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-4 | 5:01 |
| 6 | 2016 | (30) Gilles Simon vs. Paolo Lorenzi | 6-3, 2-6, 2-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (3-7) | 4:58 |