NEW YORK. Sept 8: Todd Martin made an astonishing witching-hour comeback, scoring 20 of the final 21 points and rallying from the brink of defeat to stun Greg Rusedski in a five-set US Open thriller on Tuesday, reports AFP.

The 29-year-old American, who dropped nine games in a row to lose the first two sets, was two points from defeat in the third before recovering for a 5-7. 0-6, 7-6. 6-4. 6-4 victory that was among his greatest.

"It's the only one I can remember at this time. It was great." an exhausted Martin said seconds after winning, "I went out to a late lunch I guess. I was just fortunate I was able to recover from that."

Minutes later, a semi-conscious Martin received intravenous fluids and was barely able to talk, the recovery having drained him.

Martin's midnight miracle took three hours and one minute, and came before barely 2.000 people who lingered Tuesday long after most who • watched Venus Williams and Martina Hingis book a women's semifinal date.

Seventh seed Martin, who took intravenous fluids Monday after battling a stomach virus, made 29 winners and only two unforced errors in the last two sets. Ninth seed Rused-skt fell apart with 11 fifth-set unforced errors.

"I definitely should have won that match. Todd didn't win that match. I lost that match." Rusedski said. "He raised his game. In those big moments. I didn't raise my game. I went down. Obviously I'm upset because I should be in the quarterfipals and I'm not." Martin, whose best Grand Slam result was second at the 1994 Australian Open, reached his third Slam quarterfinal of the year after going so far only once in the past four years.

He- will try for a semifinal berth against 95th-ranked Dosedel. who played no hard-court tune-up but reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal with a 6-4. 7-5. 5-7. 7-5 victory over fellow Czech Jiri Novak.

Rusedski broke Martin for a 6-5 lead in the first set. the sec-

ond of nine games in a row won by the British serve-smasher on the day after his 26th birthday. Martin, unshaven and weary, appeared a totally beaten man.

Rusedski squandered two ‘ break points in the seventh game of the third that would have put Martin two breaks down, then came Within two points of victory on Martin's serve at 30-30 in the ninth game but failed to capitalise again, setting the stage for his collapse.

Martin broke Rusedski to pull even at 5-5. then both held to force the tiebreaker.

After a service winner on the final point, Martin raised his

round fixture on September 7 hands in the air and yelled. "Yes." It was his fifth rally from two sets down to win and the smattering of spectators rewarded him with a standing ovation.

'That got me going." Martin said. "It was a great moment."

The other quarterfinal pairing was set with Brazilian fifth seed Kuerten to face France's Cedric Pioline.

Kuerten dodged a bullet when Swede Magnus Norman became the event's ninth player lost to an injury, retiring three points into the second set with a strained lower back after dropping the first set 7-6.

"I was very, very lucky. He was playing better than me." Kuerten said. "I thought he was really hurt. I just put the ball back and he was hurting so he couldn't get the ball back."

— AFP photo

Pioline beat 14th-seeded German Tommy Haas 6-4. 7-5. 6-3. to make this his best US Open run since losing the 1993 final to Pete Sampras.