NEW YORK -- He had played for nearly 3 1/2 hours on a bright Sunday afternoon at the U.S. Open. So when Younes El Aynaoui finally prevailed against Jiri Novak, he was entitled to exult.
First, he went flat on his back, pumping his arms. After he scrambled to his feet and completed the obligatory handshake at the net, El Aynaoui started celebrating, throwing kisses to the crowd.
He began shedding equipment, tossing souvenirs into the stands -- first his shirt, then his racket -- to mark his survival in this battle of attrition. He went to a courtside wall to hug his trainer and waved the Moroccan flag to the crowd.
He deserved the moment. He worked hard for it.
While other prospects get free rides at high-profile tennis academies, El Aynaoui had to pay his way through Nick Bollettieri's program .
"I was doing a lot of small jobs just to pay for my stay there," the 31-year-old El Aynaoui said. "For a while, I cleaned the gym, organized the gym, drive the bus, watch the kids in the room, see if everything is clean at night, things like that.
"I wasn't really good until 23, 24. It was so many players better than me. I never had a chance to talk to a famous coach and tell him, "I really want to do it."'
That humble beginning may be part of the reason why the Open crowd urged him on with a chant of "Younes!" Nobody had ever heard that at the National Tennis Center before.
"Sometimes, it does surprise you," he said. "People are really thankful about it. I'm maybe happier than all of them are. But they seem to be so happy to shake my hand to come and watch me. I like it."
El Aynaoui's 7-6 (1), 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory, spiced by some unlikely points, sent him into the fourth round against Carlos Moya, who advanced with a 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Nicolas Massu.
As soon as the Moroccan stretches sets into tiebreaks, he has an edge. He is 5-0 in tiebreaks at the Open this year.
"I want to make it long," he explained. "You know, more suspense. I like it. It's a very high-pressure time. You don't have much choice because if you lose the point, you are behind. "
But a tiebreaker in the fifth set is sudden death, and El Aynaoui can do without that pressure. He remembered one passing crosscourt shot against Novak.
"Could have been this far out and it was match point for him," the Moroccan said. "Then came match point for me. When you play at that stage, it's a matter of luck."
El Aynaoui wasn't kidding about playing long matches. He went five hours in an epic quarterfinal against Andy Roddick at the Australian Open, losing 4-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4, 21-19. Never before in Grand Slam history had a fifth set stretched 40 games. So Sunday's 31/2-hour exercise must have seemed like a walk in the park.
"I think in Australia, when we both walk out of the court, we were both happy," he said. "Just the matter of one point."
El Aynaoui lost that marathon. It felt better to win the one on Sunday.
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