Top five longest men's singles matches at US Open

Daniel Evans preserved his 5-0 record against Karen Khachanov in the longest US Open match.

The US Open has witnessed a fair share of epic five-setters all through its history. The new century has seen three epic five-set encounters, with a fourth being added in 2024, and it is the longest five-set marathon yet. The longest-ever five-setter remains the first round at Wimbledon in 2010 between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, lasting 11 hours and 5 minutes and spread over three days.

While new rules prevent matches of that length, players still churn out gripping encounters to keep the crowds entertained. And the spectators in New York are happy to oblige and remain glued to their seats as the floodlights turn on. 

Let’s dive into the five longest singles matches at Flushing Meadows in the Open Era.

5. Andy Murray defeats Novak Djokovic – 4:54 – 2012 Final

At just short of five hours, the 2012 US Open final between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic was an instant classic. It was Murray’s fifth Grand Slam final. In each of those five finals, it was either Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic across the net.  

Just a month earlier, Murray had won the Olympic Gold at the London Olympics with a straight-set win over Roger Federer. The Scot carried that form to New York, losing just three sets en route to the final. Against Djokovic, Murray took an early lead, winning the first two sets.   

But the Serbian was not going to make it easy for Murray. He levelled the match and forced a do-or-die fifth set. By the time the then World No. 3 secured the fifth set and the trophy, four hours and 54 minutes had elapsed. Murray came through to win his first US Open title 7-6(10), 7-6, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2, and became the first Brit to win a major since Fred Perry in 1936.

4. Sargis Sargsian defeats Nicolas Massu – 5:09 – 2004 Round 2   

Armenian Sargis Sargsian got the better of Nicolas Massu in their extended second-round clash at Flushing Meadows not long after the Chilean won the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.  Sargsian was heading into the match trailing 2-0 in his head-to-head with Massu.   

Sandwiched between Chilean and Armenian fans, Sargsian prevailed 6-7(6), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(6), 6-4, taking five hours and nine minutes to subdue Massu for the first time. The duo traded sets, leaving Sargasian to fight back from a set down each time before ultimately prevailing in one of the longest matches played out at the venue. It was the second-longest match on record at that time.

Also Read: Top five men’s singles players with most matches at US Open in Open Era

Sargsian went to play another gruelling five-set match, this time against Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu. It took four hours and 44 minutes to get past Mathieu, but finally, the Armenian won 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(4) to make the fourth round for the first and only time. 

3. Carlos Alcaraz defeats Jannik Sinner – 5:15 – 2022 Quarter-finals

The memorable quarter-final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the 2022 US Open came within 11 minutes of moving ahead of the Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang face-off, the longest at that point. They battled for the better part of the night for over five hours before the Spaniard wrapped up the match.

The five-hour, 15-minute match ended at 2:50 AM. It would have wound up earlier only if Sinner had served out the match at 5-4 in the fourth set. Instead, it was Alcaraz for the win in one of the longest matches the US Open has witnessed. The 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-7(0), 7-5, 6-3 win gave Alcaraz the first win over the Italian in a Grand Slam. The then 19-year-old Alcaraz went on to win the title and become the youngest World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

2. Stefan Edberg defeats Michael Chang – 5:26 – 1992 Semi-final

The semi-final between Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang was the longest at the US Open since 1992. The Swede overcame Chang in 5 hours and 26 minutes with the scoreline reading 7-5, 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-4 to enter the title round against Pete Sampras. Edberg went on to defend his title and claim his sixth and final Grand Slam trophy with a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 win against Pistol Pete. 

The last four between Edberg and Chang was the third five-set match in a row played by the Swede. He had earlier posted wins against Richard Krajicek (6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4) and Ivan Lendl (6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 7-6).

1. Daniel Evans defeats Karen Khachanov – 5:35 – 2024 Round 1

The opening round of the 2024 US Open between Daniel Evans and Karen Khachanov became the longest match to be played in Flushing Meadows. The day two match between Evans and Khachanov broke the record set by Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang 32 years ago in 1992 by nine minutes.

Evans and Khachanov went toe to toe on Tuesday, with the Briton fighting back from 0-4 down in the deciding set to eliminate the Russian 6-7(6), 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-4 in five hours and 35 minutes. The third set was the longest at 72 minutes in a match that saw no set finished in under an hour.

Khachanov hit 79 winners to Evans’ 53 but wiped out the advantage by making 73 unforced errors. The marathon encounter witnessed three-tie breaks and the Brit winning 201 points to Khachanov’s 191. Two games from defeat, the former World No. 21 fought back to extend his lead over Khachanov to 5-0.  Evans has never lost in the first round of the US Open.

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