Greek Maria Sakkari has emerged triumphant from a gruelling 3h 30m battle with former champion Bianca Andreescu, clinching a 6-7(2) 7-6(6) 6-3 victory to reach the US Open quarter-finals.
Sakkari helped the Canadian to an early break in the first set with a trio of double faults, before finding her footing.
Andreescu, the 2019 champion, won a punishing 21-shot rally to open the first-set tiebreak, before clinching the set with three straight points, capping it off with an ace.
Sakkari, who faces fourth seed Karolina Pliskova in the quarter-final, knew she had to change her approach to stay in the match.
"I knew that I lost the first set because I was doing some things wrong," she says. "I was not very brave, so I had to change that."
The Greek struggled with her serve again in the second set, putting up five double faults, but broke her opponent in the second game to put her nose in front. She then held serve in an 11th game that lasted 10 minutes.
The second set tiebreak went Sakkari's way, with the 17th seed clinching it at the fourth attempt.
Down 3-2 in the third set, Andreescu received treatment on her left thigh, before leaving the court for a medical timeout and returning with her leg wrapped.
With Sakkari leading 5-3 and up 30-0 in the ninth game, a hurting Andreescu screamed, "This sucks!", but managed to fend off three matchpoints, before the Greek converted on a fourth.
Andreescu missed the 2020 season due to injury and the challenges of playing in the COVID-19 pandemic, and failed to get beyond the first round at Wimbledon or Roland Garros this year.
Sakkari says she was prepared for the match to go even deeper, but was happy it did not.
"I was prepared for 7-6 in the third, but if you know, if it comes easier, then I'll take it," she adds.
"I knew it was gonna be a very tough match... she loves this court, her best memories," says Sakkari, who reached the French Open semi-finals earlier this year.
Her win ensures there will be a new US Open women's champion this year.
Reuters
