NEW YORK -- Roger Federer's fan club barely stretched beyond the man wearing a red Swiss flag T-shirt and dangling the country's flag over the rail of the middle deck.
Even with the minimal fanfare, the reigning Wimbledon champion still foiled things for the local favorite.
It took Federer 2 hours, 1 minute to beat ever-popular American James Blake 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 on Sunday night to reach the U.S. Open's round of 16 for the second straight year. Federer, playing his first match under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium, was one set up after just 23 minutes and exhibited both poise and an amazing array of shotmaking.
"I always felt in control of the second set," Federer said. "They were cheering him on, which is normal. ... Obviously, when you get into a tiebreaker you never quite know, but I felt good going into the breaker."
And one by one, America's young guns are going down. First there was Mardy Fish, then Robby Ginepri, and now Blake. No. 4 Andy Roddick and Taylor Dent both remain in a men's field that also includes their aging countrymen: world No. 1 Andre Agassi and Todd Martin.
Agassi advanced after waiting 24 hours to complete his third-round match against Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Agassi had a one-set lead and trailed 1-0 in the second when play was suspended by rain Saturday. Agassi, the oldest top-seeded male in the Open era, didn't have to spend too much more time on the court, winning 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-4, but he was frustrated he had to come back at all.
"For the match to get called, and to be the only match that didn't finish yesterday, I think was a mistake, an oversight in judgment," said the 33-year-old Agassi, who plays Dent on Monday.
Roddick smacked a 140-mph ace in a 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Flavio Saretta, allowing just five points in his first 12 service games. The No. 4-seeded Roddick will play Xavier Malisse, a 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (8) winner over Dmitry Tursunov.
For the first time since 1981, the top eight seeds in the men's draw have advanced to the round of 16.
The second-seeded Federer is trying to become the first man since Pete Sampras in 1995 to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in the same year.
Federer remained steady through a stressful second set that both players will certainly remember for a while.
One game lasted 13 minutes and featured eight break points and 10 deuces before Blake finally held serve. Another of Blake's service games had six deuces, and he also won that one.
Federer had a total of 20 break points in the set but converted just one -- when Blake dropped behind 3-2 with consecutive double-faults. Blake drew even at 5-5 by breaking back when Federer missed two straight forehands, but Federer remained calm through the tiebreaker.
"His demeanor is also one of the best on the court," Blake said. "He seems very emotionless until it gets to the end of the match, and then he lets it all out, as you saw at Wimbledon."
Now Federer will face No. 13 David Nalbandian, who's won all four of their matches.
"I've beaten him in juniors," Federer said, chuckling. "It's about time for me to beat him."
Theatrical Moroccan Younes El Aynaoui, seeded 22nd, beat No. 10 Jiri Novak 7-6 (1), 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) to set up a fourth-round match against No. 7 Carlos Moya, who beat Nicolas Massu 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
When El Aynaoui won, he threw his racket in delight, laid on his stomach along the baseline punching his arms to the ground, then jumped up and leapt against the wall and into the arms of his trainer. That was just the beginning. He then stripped off his shirt and slung it into the stands, held up a Moroccan flag and draped it over his shoulder to sign autographs before hoisting his racket into the seats.
"I want to make it long, more suspense," he said jokingly.
The 31-year-old El Aynaoui lost 21-19 to Roddick in the Australian Open quarterfinals this year in the longest fifth set in Grand Slam tournament history.
Nalbandian beat No. 20 Mark Philippoussis 7-5, 6-7 (10), 6-3, 6-2 in a match between the last two runners-up at Wimbledon. Philippoussis out-aced Nalbandian 34-5, but also committed 74 unforced errors.
No. 12 Sjeng Schalken, a 2002 semifinalist, ended the run of qualifier Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (8), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), and will meet No. 8 Rainer Schuettler, runner-up to Agassi at the Australian Open in January. Schuettler beat Alberto Martin 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.
The only past champion in the women's field, third-seeded Lindsay Davenport, advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating No. 19 Nadia Petrova 6-0, 6-7 (6), 6-2. Davenport will play No. 24 Paola Suarez, who got past Elena Likhovtseva 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.
Davenport has won a total of three Grand Slam titles, but No. 1-ranked Kim Clijsters and No. 5 Amelie Mauresmo both are aiming to claim their first. Clijsters moved into the final eight by beating No. 17 Meghann Shaughnessy 6-2, 6-4, while Mauresmo was a 6-2, 6-2 winner over Tamarine Tanasugarn.
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