Steve Johnson of the US saved half-a-dozen match points in the third set as he rallied from two sets down to reach the second round of the US Open on Tuesday.
The 19th seed, who won his first ATP title in Nottingham, England, this year, trailed Russian Evgeny Donskoy 6-4, 6-1, 5-2 before he turned things around for a 4-6, 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-3 victory in three hours, 12 minutes.
Serving at 2-5 in the third to stay in the match, Johnson trailed 0-40, but clawed his way back — then faced two more match points two games later.
Photo: AP
Asked how he pulled off the great escape, Johnson said that he was not quite sure.
“The last three-and-a-half hours have been a little bit of a blur to be honest,” he said. “I was ready to pack my bags and go home and I just found a way to get out of that service game at 5-2.”
“After winning the third, I just gave myself a shot,” he said. “I just figured maybe my best stuff’s not today, but I’ll use my legs and run and just find a way.”
With the hard-fought win Johnson can try to keep building on his success this year. Since his win in Nottingham in June he has made the fourth round at Wimbledon, reached the quarter-finals at an ATP Masters for the first time in Cincinnati and reached the quarter-finals at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
In other results at Flushing Meadows Janko Tipsarevic defeated Sam Querrey 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (0/7), 6-3, 6-3; David Ferrer eliminated Aleksandr Dolgopolov, who retired while trailing 6-5 in the first set; Stanislas Wawrinka beat Fernando Verdasco 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-4; Kei Nishikori defeated Benjamin Becker 6-1, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3; and Andy Murray advanced after a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Lukas Rosol.
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