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 25mins 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.

“It was pretty tough today, especially when you are up two sets to love,” Paul said. “You never want to lose a match like that.”

With the time in th

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