Tim Henman clung onto his Wimbledon ambitions after twice coming back from the dead in a five-set fourth round marathon with Switzerland’s Michel Kratochvil.
Henman stared embarrassing defeat against an unseeded opponent in the face at one set and one break down in the third set - then again recovered from an early break in the decider.
He completed his 7-6 6-7 4-6 6-3 6-2 to spare the blushes and march on to meet Andre Sa of Brazil for a place in the semi-finals.
The British number one was indebted to a huge unforced error count from the Swiss world number 45 - who came up with an extraordinary 17 double-faults.
It was the second great escape for Henman, who was tested to the limit by South African Wayne Ferreira two days ago.
Henman's crucial break came in the fifth game of the final set when he grabbed his third break point chance to go 3-2 ahead. It capped a dramatic turnaround after Henman netted an easy forehand to go 2-0 down three games earlier.
But as the winning post approached Henman, so often accused of choking at important moments, launched into overdrive. He needed only one chance to take a double break and served out to complete his victory.
It was unlikely Henman would need to call upon such reserves of energy as he coasted into a 4-1 third set lead after the players had shared two tie-breaks.
But the rain came back and when the players returned after a two-hour rain delay Henman blew up. He dropped his serve twice in succession and lost five games in a row. And when he was broken in the third game of the fourth set things looked grim.
But Henman was relieved when Kratochvil made four unforced errors on his serve and was broken back immediately. His tenacity and Kratochvil's nerves would ultimately prove to be the decisive factors.