Fearless Carlos Alcaraz has not been distracted by a Stefanos Tsitsipas mid-match bathroom break, holding his focus to upset the Greek third seed 6-3 6-4 7-6(2) 0-6 7-6(5) and advancing to the US Open fourth round.
Assuming the role of villain at this year's tournament over his lengthy, well-timed trips to the washroom that have been criticised as strategic delay tactics, Tsitsipas threw everything he had at the 18-year-old Spaniard.
But Alcaraz refused to lose focus, becoming the youngest player to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam, since 17-year-old Andrei Medvedev at 1992 Roland Garros.
Tactic or mother nature calling, Tsitsipas again took a bathroom break at a crucial point in the match, leaving the court after losing a third-set tiebreak that put the Spaniard ahead 2-1.
No player's bathroom breaks have ever come under so much scrutiny, with the crowd booing instantly, as Tsitsipas left the court, while television coverage put a timer on him.
Planned or not, Tsitsipas returned five minutes later and stormed through the fourth set 6-0, just as he did in the second round against Adrian Mannarino.
When Tsitsipas used two bathroom breaks during his first-round meeting with Andy Murray, the Scotsman accused him of cheating and later took to social media, tweeting: "It takes Stefanos Tsitsipas twice as long to go to the bathroom as it takes Jeff Bezos to fly into space."
But unlike Murray and Mannarino, Alcaraz would rebound, giving no ground in a tense fifth set that went to a tiebreak, which the Spaniard again claimed 7-5.
Meanwhile, German Angelique Kerber has triumphed in a battle of former champions, downing Sloane Stephens 5-7 6-2 6-3 to reach the fourth round for the first time since 2018.
The 16th seed hadn't taken a set off of Stephens in their last five meetings and history seemed to be repeating, as Kerber committed 18 unforced errors and a double fault in the first set.
But the 2016 champion wrested the momentum from the American, cleaning up her game in the second set, where she never faced a breakpoint and won the final five games in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
She put up a strong defensive performance, as the 2017 Flushing Meadows winner lobbed 13 forehand winners in the third set, fending off three breakpoints in the sixth game and converting on breakpoint in the next, helped by a double fault from Stephens.
She let out a cheer, as she booked her second consecutive trip to the fourth round at the US Open and gave credit to Stephens' impressive play.
Reuters
