Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland outlasted Sam Querrey, the last U.S. hope in men's singles, in five sets to reach the quarterfinals at the US Open on Tuesday.
Wawrinka, the 25th seed, won the epic match in four hours 28 minutes scorelining 7-6 (11-9), 6-7 (5-7), 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
Querrey, seeded 20th, trailed 3-0 in the second-set tiebreak before coming back to win the set.
The players looked to be heading for a third successive tiebreak until Wawrinka broke his opponent's serve in the final game of the set.
Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland celebrates his victory against Sam Querrey of the U.S. during the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, September 7, 2010.
Querrey battled back from a 2-1 deficit in sets, breaking the 25th-seeded Wawrinka at 3-3 in the fourth set and firing two huge serves to take it three games later.
In the final set, Wawrinka struggled to keep his strength, getting his thigh wrapped several times.
Wawrinka and Querrey stayed on serve until the final game. With Querrey serving to stay in the match, the American made several blunders, and strangely served and volleyed at 30-all for the first time all afternoon.
That move resulted in a poor shot into the net. While Querrey saved the first match point, Wawrinka chipped and charged on a weak second serve on his second chance to end the marathon.
"It was an amazing match to finish here and to beat him in five sets was crazy," the 25-year-old Wawrinka said. "I was just fighting all the time to keep aggressive with my game."
Wawrinka, 25th-seeded, will challenge Mikhail Youzhny as the 12th-seeded Russian beat Spain's Tommy Robredo 7-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
Wawrinka joins five-time U.S. Open champion Roger Federer in the last eight, making it the first time two Swiss men have reached this stage of the same Grand Slam since tennis turned professional in 1968.
Stanislas Wawrinka (L) of Switzerland shakes hands with Sam Querrey of the U.S. after winning their match during the US Open tennis tournament in New York, September 7, 2010