Frenchman Lucas Pouille beat 14-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal in a five set classic on Sunday to advance to the quarterfinals of the US Open.
In a tense match that lasted four hours and seven minutes, Pouille, 22, emerged with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(6) win over the Spanish superstar.
Nadal, seeking a first last eight appearance this year, trailed 6-3 before saving three match points to tie the score at 6-6 in the fifth set tiebreaker.
However, the 30-year-old Spaniard missed a shot that he never used to miss, a forehand in the middle of the court that was ready made for a winner. He drilled it into the net.
On the next point, Pouille smashed a winner with a blazing forehand and fell to his back as his fairytale run continues.
He next tackles 10th-seeded compatriot Gael Monfils, a 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 winner over Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in a masterpiece display.
Earlier, Novak Djokovic steamed into the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 victory against 84th-ranked Briton Kyle Edmund.
Edmund, playing in a Grand Slam fourth round for the first time, barely got a look-in during the first two sets against the world No 1 and defending champion.
The victory sets up a potentially explosive last-eight clash between Djokovic and ninth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (7/9), 6-2 winner over American Jack
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