On Tuesday at the 2024 US Open, Daniel Evans battled for a tournament record 5 hours and 35 minutes to upset Karen Khachanov in the first round. Two days later, the Brit was back for more.
After another 2 hours, 37 minutes on court, Evans is through to the third round with a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 result against Mariano Navone. This one won't qualify as a marathon match, but there were plenty of marathon games as the competitors battled through deuce time and again on Court 5.
"It was a bit quicker, but it didn't feel much easier," said Evans, who estimated he received six hours of physio treatment in the 48 hours after his first match—not including an ice bath. "It was nice to get off the court. It was good to get a win and play some good tennis."
The 34-year-old's well-travelled legs took some time to warm up, as he droped the first three games of the match and the first two of set two, but Evans eventually hit his stride in both frames. It was Evans' turn to race ahead in the third set, and he coolly saw home his 3-0 advantage to reach the New York Round of 32 for the fourth year running.
"It was important to win today," he said. "The record and stuff is obviously great. But I'm here to win, as well. It's not just to get that record and then roll over."
Evans is playing the US Open as the world No. 184. His ATP ranking plummeted from the Top 60 after he elected not to defend the 500 points from his 2023 title in Washington, D.C. Instead, Evans represented Great Britain at the Paris Olympics, notching a win in singles and memorably pairing with the retiring Andy Murray for a heroic run to the quarterfinals that featured multiple match-point saves.
Murray was among those captivated by Evans' record-setting performance at the US Open Tuesday, chiming in on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"It's nice he's still watching, in between playing golf," Evans joked.
Next up for Evans in New York is a third-round showdown with 10th-seeded Aussie Alex de Minaur, who is playing his first tournament since pulling out of the Wimbledon quarterfinals with a hip injury. Evans is 3-0 in that head-to-head, with their most recent meeting coming in the 2023 Davis Cup Finals Group Stage.
With a win, Evans would match his best US Open result—a fourth-round run in 2021. Among the interested observers will be Murray
