Dan Evans ended a ten-match tour losing streak in the most heroic style, defeating 23rd seed Karen Khachanov in the longest match ever played in the 142-year history of the US Open.

At five hours and 35 minutes, Evans’s 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 victory eclipsed the 1992 meeting between Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang.

By the deciding set of this agonisingly punishing contest, which was played out in the heat of the fierce north American sun, both men were suffering from cramp. 

At first it was Evans, the smaller of the two, who seemed more debilitated. Because of his fleet-footed playing style, he ended up covering significantly more ground: slightly over 7.3km (4.5 miles) to Khachanov’s 6.8km.

For the first half of the decider it was Khachanov who dominated, moving out to a 4-0 lead in a fusillade of beefy winners. A burly figure, the Russian was still able to power the ball through the court while Evans could do little more than chip it back into play.