Roger Federer advanced to the semi-finals of the US Open last night with a 7-6 (9-7) 6-0 6-7 (9-11) 6-4 victory over the fifth-seeded James Blake.
Having already won the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, Federer is now just two wins from claiming another Grand Slam title.
Federer's latest triumph extended his winning streak over American opponents to 27 matches.
Even after his fifth try, Blake has yet to come up with an answer for Federer. But the 26-year old did manage to finally put a chink in Federer's armour.
The exciting third set was the first time Blake had ever taken a set from the seemingly invincible Federer, who had not dropped one in his first four matches of the tournament.
Despite jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the third-set tiebreaker, Blake did not close the deal until his fourth set point opportunity when Federer slipped on the baseline.
Riding the momentum from a supportive crowd, Blake held serve and took the first game of the fourth set before Federer rallied.
Trailing 0-40 in the second game, Federer managed to hold serve en route to winning five straight games.
One game away from elimination, Blake refused to go quietly, winning the next three games to pull within 5-4. But Federer eventually closed out things on his fourth match point.
The match could have taken an entirely different complexion had Blake pulled through in the first-set tie-breaker.
Trailing the tie-breaker 4-1, Blake stormed back to earn a set point opportunity by winning five of the next six points before falling short.
The victory moved Federer into his 10th consecutive Grand Slam semi-final and improved his 2006 hard court record to a tour-leading 40-2.
In his last 61 matches on North American hard courts, Federer boasts an incomparable 60-1 record.
The Swiss player is now only two wins away from becoming the first man during the Open Era to win back-to-back Wimbledon and US Open titles over three consecutive years.