Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt’s first chance to reach a first Grand Slam quarter-final in four years pass by with a dramatic 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 7-5, loss to Mikhail Youzhny.
The 32-year-old Hewitt, who led 4-1 in the fourth set and 5-2 in the fifth let the golden chance slip, eventually losing the contest in five sets.
“It’s obviously disappointing to lose, but I left it all out there,” said Hewitt. “There’s not a whole heap more I could have done.”
Seven games went against the Australian after racing into a 4-1 lead in the first set and he failed to serve out the match at 5-4 in the fifth, but Youzhny took the last five games.
Top seed Novak Djokovic beat Marcel Granollers 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 while women’s second seed Victoria Azarenka battled past Ana Ivanovic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Serena Williams thrashed Carla Suarez Navarro by a double bagel in less than one hour to book her place in the semi-finals, where she will face China’s Li Na.
“She is a great player,” said Williams of her Spanish opponent. “The conditions are tough and it was not her best tennis today. I’ve been playing here for like 50 years so I’ve kind of got used to the conditions.”
The world number one completely outclassed her Spanish opponent in a brutal display, powering to a 6-0, 6-0 finish in 52 seconds.
Fifth seed Li Na beat Ekaterina Makaraova of Russia to reach the semi-final of the US Open where she will be up against the world number one Williams.
Men’s ninth seed Stanislas Wawrinka saw of Czech Republic’s Tomas Berdych (5th seed) 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2 to set up a quarter-final meeting with Andy Murray, who beat Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.