NEW YORK: Tommy Paul survived a brutal five-set epic that finished at 1:46 am to fight his way past Nuno Borges and into the third round of the US Open early Friday.
The 14th-seeded American finally made it count after 4hr 45mins to pull through 7-6 (8/6), 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 7-5 in New York.
Late-night finishes in tennis have been a recurring theme, especially at the Australian Open and the US Open, where Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner completed their 2022 quarter-final at 2:50 am.
Paul could have had a comparatively early night with two match points in the third set, but he failed to take them and a newly energised Borges threatened to make him pay.
With the time in the “city that never sleeps” ticking past 1:00 am and the Arthur Ashe Stadium mostly empty, the gruelling encounter went to a deciding fifth set.
There was again nothing between them, with Portugal’s Borges – who is ranked 41 in the world – refusing to go away as he fought back from 3-0 down in the fifth.
Paul finally sealed the deal at 1:46 am with a thrilling rally on his third match point, the exhausted pair exchanging a warm embrace at the net after an attritional battle.
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“A little bit tired now, I’m sure we all are,” Paul told the spectators that remained until the end.
“First I want to say thank you to you guys for staying so late and supporting me.”
The 28-year-old added: “Definitely cool to get a win.”
He will play the 23rd-seeded Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan next.
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