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.
Swiatek survives scare as Sinner and Osaka cruise at US Open
“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.