Stan Wawrinka was a point away from packing his bags at Flushing Meadows.
The world No. 3 got a whole lot more than he bargained for from unseeded Brit Daniel Evans, who used an aggressive, net-happy approach and blistering forehand to push Wawrinka to the brink in the third round.
Having perhaps underestimated his opponent, who'd never made the second week at a Slam, Wawrinka let several opportunities slip away in the first three-plus sets (he finished the match 5-for-17 on break points). In the fourth, despite six double-faults and 24 unforced errors from Evans, Wawrinka got dragged into a tiebreaker, and found himself serving to stay in the match at 5-6.
Far from playing a tight, conservative point, he took the fight to his opponent, approaching early to the backhand and challenging Evans to pass him. Evans came up with a pretty damn good shot too, but Wawrinka erased it with a beautiful lunging drop-volley.
He'd go on to win the tiebreaker 10-8 (aided by a clutch second-serve ace at 8-8), taking the match the distance for the 15th time in his US Open career. That's just one shy of the Open-era tournament record, held by Tommy Haas.
In other words, Wawrinka had been there before - a lot. Evans hadn't, and it showed. He looked physically and mentally worn out in the fifth, getting broken from the jump and dropping the first four games before salvaging a bit of dignity.
Finally, just past the four-hour mark, Wawrinka clinched a 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (8), 6-2 win with a service winner out wide, punching his ticket to the Round of 16 in New York for the fifth straight year.