Roger Federer will have to wait another day to try to tame a pro-Andre Agassi crowd and advance to the semi-finals of the US Open.
Play was suspended on a rainy day at the National Tennis Center and world number one Federer held a two-sets-to-one lead over the 34-year-old Agassi at 6-3 2-6 7-5.
The tense match is a classic battle between a player establishing himself as one of the game's elite in Federer against Agassi, who is making a last stand as the oldest man in the draw.
Although the Swiss star has captured the Australian Open and Wimbledon, he admitted that he wanted to "prove myself" with a US Open win over Agassi.
Federer broke Agassi in the sixth game of the first set and coasted on his own serve to take the early lead. But the sixth-seeded American induced some errors in the second set and broke twice to even the match, bringing the noise level up a notch.
A terrific duel ensued in the third set with each player riding his serve and groundstrokes. At 5-5, it was Agassi who committed a critical double fault at deuce and Federer converted by surviving a lengthy rally on the next point for the break that led to his third-set triumph.
Agassi was serving at deuce in the first game of the fourth set when the rains came and forced the players and spectators for cover. After waiting for approximately two hours, the night session was called.
A pair of women's quarter-finals were completed and neither rain nor an empty Armstrong Stadium could stop Lindsay Davenport from another trip to the semi-finals of the US Open.
Originally scheduled to open the day session on Ashe Stadium, Davenport's match with Shinobu Asagoe - the lone unseeded woman left - was moved to Armstrong at night and she coasted to a 6-1 6-1 thrashing.
Since the day session was officially cancelled for ticket holders, there were few spectators in place when Davenport began her warm-ups shortly past 7pm local time.
"At this point, I didn't care if there was 100 people there or 10 people," Davenport said. "I just wanted to play and get through this one."
Davenport was obviously revved up and ready to go in clinching a seventh semi-final berth in eight years. The 1998 champion won the first four games and completed the first set in 23 minutes before needing only 22 more to complete the rout.
"I am just real happy I got it in," Davenport said. "You know, to get through to the semis and be on schedule is phenomenal."
Ninth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova advanced to meet Davenport after a 7-6 (7/4) 6-2 victory over number 14 Nadia Petrova in an all-Russian quarter-final on Court 11 in front of less than 100 spectators. Petrova ousted top seed and 2003 champion Justin Henin-Hardenne in the fourth round before stumbling in her first meeting against her countrywoman.
Kuznetsova is in her first Grand Slam semi-final.