Defending champion Andy Roddick was surprisingly bounced out of the U.S. Open on Thursday, beaten 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 6-4 by big-serving Swede Joachim Johansson in a pulsating quarter-final.
After being outplayed by the 28th seed for the first two sets, Roddick looked on course for victory when he took the match into a decider.
But after missing two chances to break in the final set, second seed Roddick, who smashed 34 aces and made only 22 unforced errors, sent a backhand long to give Johansson victory on his third match point.
"I got a good start in the first two sets, went down a little in the middle, and then hung in there in the fifth so it was good for me," Johansson told reporters after hitting 30 aces of his own.
"I won my first title in Memphis this year, which was good, but I think this is probably a little bit bigger."
Johansson was watched by his girlfriend Jaslyn Hewitt, sister of Lleyton, the player the Swede now meets in the semi-finals.
The pair practice together regularly but the Swede said Jaslyn would know who to support on Saturday.
"She can pick the boyfriend but she can't pick the brother, so she's going to go for me, for sure," Johansson said.
"It's going to be a very tough match. It will be a little bit weird but we know each other's games well. I'm going to have to serve well and move well."
The vicious winds of earlier in the day had dissipated slightly for the evening match and Johansson came out firing, breaking serve in the fifth game when Roddick double-faulted.
FOREHAND WINNER
The Swede, whose fourth-round appearance at Wimbledon was his previous best Grand-Slam showing, showed no sign of nerves and another forehand winner helped him break for 2-1 in the second set.
Roddick had three chances to break back at 5-4 but Johansson held on to go two sets up.
The second seed came from two sets down to beat Argentine David Nalbandian in the semi-finals last year, and when he broke serve in the second game of the third set, another escape act looked a possibility.
A pumped-up Roddick won 29 consecutive points on his serve as he squared the match, and he then had a break-point chance in the third game of the final set.
But Johansson, who had never played a five-set match before, showed mental strength to save it and then fought off another one at 4-4 to force Roddick to serve to stay in the match.
As the crowd roared on the home player, two big returns from Johansson and a Roddick double-fault handed the Swede three match points.
Roddick dug deep to save the first two but after a mishit forehand from Johansson landed in, the American sent a backhand over the baseline.
"Let's give him credit, the guy serves out of a tree," said Roddick.
"I had a good look at his serve in the fifth set but I just played a bad game. I had a bunch of break points and only converted a couple and he had a few and converted almost all of them."
Roddick said he had enjoyed a good year, regardless of what happens the rest of the season.
"To qualify for the (Tennis) Masters (Cup) in August is pretty good," he said.
"I've had a couple of heartbreakers in Grand Slams this year. I just have to step up and win those. I'm not happy but losses like this make me hungrier."
The result means that, for the first time since 1986, there will be no American in the last four of the men's singles.
