Briton Cameron Norrie has claimed his biggest win at a grand slam, fighting from two sets down to beat ninth seed Diego Schwartzman 3-6 4-6 6-2 6-1 7-5 in the first round of the US Open.

Both players served poorly, resulting in 58 break points being up for grabs in total, and 25-year-old Norrie saved two match points in the decider before prevailing after nearly four hours.

A time violation saw Schwartzman lose his cool in the third set and Norrie took advantage to mount his comeback.

Schwartzman needed the tournament physio to look at his wrist following a fall in the deciding set but recovered to conjure two match points.

But he couldn’t convert either before cramping and dropping the last 10 points of the match.

World No.1 and three-time champion Novak Djokovic will headline the night action as an unusual calm settles over Flushing Meadows for the first grand slam event since the coronavirus outbreak.

Djokovic will compete in prime time which, under normal circumstances, would cause thousands of fans to pack under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Instead, the stands will sit empty, with players living in quarantine.

The top seed will play Bosnian Damir Dzumhur as he begins his bid for an 18th grand slam title.

Donning masks and lugging rackets over their shoulders, the handful of authorised attendees trickled into the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in unseasonably cool weather as the curtain raised on a US Open unlike any before.

The COVID-19 crisis has already had an impact on the tournament, with Frenchman Benoit Paire dropping out on Sunday after testing positive before the event began.

Many top players, including reigning champion Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, have opted not to compete due to health and safety concerns.

That could leave room for younger male contenders looking to win their first grand slam.