Sixth seed Andy Roddick crashed out of the Australian Open to number 29 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber after a five-set thriller in the third round.
The American never looked comfortable and the German ran out a worthy winner after a four-hour epic which ended after 0200 local time on Saturday.
Roddick saved four match points in a pulsating fifth set but eventually went down 4-6 6-3 6-7 (8-10) 7-6 (7-3) 6-8.
Kohlschreiber now faces Finn Jarkko Nieminen after he beat Mardy Fish.
"I was just thinking don't make mistakes," said Kohlschreiber, 24. "I just said full power on every shot, and it worked out perfectly.
"I enjoyed every second of it and both of us was doing our best to come out on top.
"That was just amazing. It's the best that happened to me in tennis."
Both Kohlschreiber and Roddick had gone into the tournament on hot streaks, Roddick winning the Kooyong Classic title last week and Kohlschreiber claiming the Auckland title.
The word in the locker-room was that the match was poised to be a close affair and the predictions were correct.
"I took his best stuff for five sets and I thought I was going to get him to break or to fold"
Roddick did not look focused in the opener and Kohlschreiber's probing groundstrokes saw him break at 5-4 and serve out the set.
In the second, the German fended off three break points at 1-1, but a revitalised Roddick broke him in the fourth game and held on to level at one-set all.
Both players settled into a rhythm in the third and, while both had opportunities to break, the tie-break was inevitable.
Roddick worked his way to two set-points in the tie-breaker but remarkably Kohlschreiber clung on, eventually claiming it 11-9 to edge ahead.
With things not going his way, the American sixth seed threw down his racquet and yelled 'you're an idiot' at umpire Emmanuel Joseph.
606: DEBATE
A rattled Roddick, already on a warning for bad language, continued to rant at the umpire, complaining vociferously about rowdy German fans in the seventh game.
Despite his rising temper, Roddick managed to push the set through to the tie-break, winning it 7-3 to level the match once more.
Unbowed, the German continued to attack and forced four match points in the 10th game, but Roddick hung on.
The match was finally settled in the 14th game as Kohlschreiber pulled out two more well-timed groundstrokes to move to 0-30 on the Roddick serve.
The American responded with another ace - to mark a career-best match total of 42 - but a superb Kohlschreiber passing-shot and a wide forehand from Roddick handed the German a place in the last 16.
"It's not good, it's not fun," shrugged Roddick. "I am trying to think of a new and exciting way to say that.
"He was swinging from the first ball. I took his best stuff for five sets and I thought I was going to get him to break or to fold.
"I thought if I kept it on him long enough that that would happen. Tonight he played like a great, great player.
"It's rough. You play a match that long, you come out the wrong end, it doesn't feel good."
Roddick's defeat saw him slide to his earliest exit from the event since his debut in 2002, while Kohlschreiber equalled his career-best Grand Slam performance.
Ironically that was in the fourth round of the Australian Open in 2005, where he lost to Roddick.
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