Cultured artist Roger Federer turned Swiss slugger yesterday, soaking up all his opponent's big shots to salvage his Australian Open dream and reach the fourth round by the narrowest of margins.
While big names dropped like flies on day six, the defending champion drew on all his big-match experience to fight off world number 49 Janko Tipsarevic 6-7 7-6 5-7 6-1 10-8.
It took Federer a shade under four-and-a-half hours to repel the Serb and breathe new life into his bid for a 13th grand slam crown.
"What a great battle," the world number one said. "This is where you get grey hair early in life.
"Pity for him, but what a great victory for me."
The sport's ultimate fighter Lleyton Hewitt followed Federer's lead and donned the gloves to floor 15th seed Marcos Baghdatis 4-6 7-5 7-5 6-7 6-3 in the latest finish of a singles match in grand slam history.
It was 4:33 a.m. by the time the Australian slammed a forehand return winner into the corner after four hours 45 minutes of see-saw action.
"I am just happy to get through," Hewitt sighed. "It wasn't easy for either of us."
Federer had looked down and out at times during his match, sluggish, heavy on his feet and struggling for motivation but he still pulled it off.
Next up for him is Czech 13th seed Tomas Berdych.
Federer's epic pushed the evening session back and meant Hewitt's clash with Cypriot Baghdatis began at 11:47 p.m. Australian time - the latest a match had ever started at Melbourne Park.
Nothing could separate former world number one Hewitt and 2006 runner-up Baghdatis as they went toe-to-toe on centre court.
Hewitt looked as though he had done enough when he soared into a fourth-set lead but blew a 5-1 lead and a match point at 5-2.
Baghdatis ran out of steam in the fifth, however, allowing Hewitt to record a remarkable victory to line up a meeting with third seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
Federer's ability to conjure victory from thin air and Hewitt's gutsy performance were in stark contrast to women's second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova's feeble 6-3 6-4 capitulation to Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska.
"It's pretty simple. I think I beat myself up out there," the Russian world number two said.
"I was not playing against her, I was playing against me."
Sixth seed Anna Chakvetadze also deserved to lose, beaten 6-7 6-1 6-2 by her former club mate and fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko.
Last year's men's runner-up Fernando Gonzalez of Chile suffered a 6-2 6-7 6-3 6-1 upset loss to Croatian teenager Marin Cilic.
The seventh seed simply could not contain the youngest man left in the draw who bombarded him with a barrage of 60 winners.
"Today I was playing probably the best match of my life," the 19-year-old Cilic said.
Serbian third seed Djokovic cruised into the fourth round with a 6-3 6-1 6-3 win over unseeded American Sam Querrey.
Ivanovic through
Compatriot and women's fourth seed Ana Ivanovic secured a comfortable 6-3 6-4 victory over Katerina Srebotnik, needing just one break of serve in each set against the 28th-ranked Slovenian.
American Venus Williams logged a good win in the opening match of the night session, ousting India's Sania Mirza 7-6 6-4. "I felt good with how I played... confident throughout the whole match," the Wimbledon champion said.