The first rounds of Grand Slams can be daunting for even the best-ranked players at times. This was the case with Flavio Cobolli, who took on Francisco Comesana in the opening round of the US Open. The Italian unexpectedly had a poor start to the match and lost the first two sets. Having never come back from two sets down before, it looked like Cobolli’s campaign would come to an early end. However, not only did he complete an incredible comeback, but he also celebrated it to the fullest.

Cobolli came back from behind to rack up a dramatic 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory and reach the second round. He dropped to his knees after clinching the match point, showing how much effort had gone into the win. He then put his hand to his ear after the customary handshake, soaking in all the cheers from the crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

It proved to be a thoroughly entertaining match as Comesana also put in quite the effort. He was dominating Cobolli in the opening two sets, and the latter was falling short of answers. But the World No. 5 came back a changed player in the third set after going backstage at the end of the first two sets.

Suddenly, the momentum started shifting in Cobolli’s favor, and his forehand also began firing on all cylinders. He clinched multiple breaks in the next two sets and kept hold of his own serve to defy the odds and level up the match. The final set saw Comesana race to an early 0-2 lead. But Cobolli maintained his composure and turned the tables on the Argentine to seal the match in the decider.

After winning the marathon four-hour and 14-minute clash, Cobolli admitted that he changed his mindset during the break between the second and third sets. That short breather was enough for Cobolli to regroup and prepare for the long battle that was ahead of him.

“I want to say thanks to everybody with me on this incredible comeback that I did today,” he said during his on-court interview. “After two sets down I went to the toilets, and I changed everything. It’s never done, you have to fight until the last point. I have a very incredible team that helped me a lot today, and maybe is the key to looking forward to the next round also.”

Cobolli will be taking on the winner of the clash between Nishesh Basavareddy and Tristan Schoolkate in the second round. Interestingly, the Italian has never faced either of them in a tour-level match before. Though Cobolli will be the favorite to advance, there is a possibility that either of the two players can manage to surprise him, just like Comesana.

Notably, Cobolli wasn’t the only high-ranked player to play a grueling five-setter in the first round of the US Open. Local hero Frances Tiafoe was also involved in an end-to-end encounter, but managed to escape a first-round exit.

Frances Tiafoe plays out a thriller against Martin Damm at the US Open

The all-American clash between Tiafoe and Damm proved to be quite a ride for the fans in attendance. At one stage, the World No. 12 looked set to suffer a shocking exit in the opening round, but then got himself back into the match and won in thrilling fashion.

Tiafoe triumphed 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 against Damm. Coming off a final appearance at the Cincinnati Masters, Tiafoe claimed victory after three hours and 48 minutes. He got the crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium roaring on multiple occasions and delivered arguably one of his finest performances of the season.

The serve was a key factor in the match as Damm smashed 28 aces to Tiafoe’s 12. He was quite strong on his serve in the first two sets, but then lost it on three occasions in the next three sets. Damm will be gutted with the result, as this was his golden opportunity to defeat a second top-20 opponent in two weeks. He had previously gotten the better of Daniil Medvedev in the first round of the Winston-Salem Open.

The victory saw Tiafoe improve his H2H record to 2-0 in the matchup. The two had also met last year at Flushing Meadows, and Tiafoe had claimed a 6-4, 7-5, 6-7, 7-5 victory.

After making his way past Damm, Tiafoe will be taking on qualifier Rei Sakamoto in the second round. The Japanese has also reached the stage after winning a five-setter against Aleksandar Vukic. It remains to be seen if he, too, causes major problems for Tiafoe.