Lleyton Hewitt overcame an astonishing fourth-set collapse to claw his way into the last 16 of the Australian Open with a drama-charged five-set win over classy Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.

In one of the most extraordinary matches in Open history - one full of twists, turns and tumbles that started at 11.49 on Saturday night and finished four-and-three-quarter hours later at 4.34 Sunday morning - Hewitt snatched a 4-6 7-5 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 victory.

In what his former coach Roger Rasheed labelled "an official choke" while commentating on Channel Seven, Australia's 2005 runner-up twice failed to serve out the contest after establishing what seemed an unassailable 5-1 lead in the fourth set.

Hewitt also wasted a match point on Baghdatis's serve at 5-2, blew a 4-2 advantage in the fourth-set tiebreaker and was unable to capitalise on four break-point chances at 2-2 in the deciding set.

Displaying the heart of a lion, Hewitt finally seized the moment for a 3-2 lead in the fifth set when a tiring Baghdatis - playing his second successive five-setter - shovelled a weak backhand into the net while desperately trying to stave off his fifth break point of the game.

Hewitt's epic triumph set up another blockbuster showdown - this time with Serbian powerhouse Novak Djokovic.

An exhausted Hewitt struggled to explain how he was still alive in the tournament after etching his name once more in the history books - this time for being involved in the latest-starting and latest-finishing match ever at the Open.

"I don't know what to say. I should have closed it out in the fourth set," he said.

"That's the mental strength and fitness training that I've been doing.

"To come back from (the disappointment of being) 5-1 up in the fourth and having a match point and losing that set in a tiebreaker is one of my best wins mentally.

"To come back and beat him in five sets, I'm pretty proud."

Hewitt and Baghdatis were unable to take to Rod Laver Arena until just before midnight because of Roger Federer's equally tense five-set escape against Janko Tipsarevic earlier on Saturday night.

Yet, apart from one apparently intoxicated spectator who was ejected for distracting Baghdatis during one of his service games in the tension-filled fifth set, no-one was game to leave the arena before the climactic conclusion.

"Obviously an incredible day of tennis - for Roger Federer to go five sets, how often does that happen?" Hewitt said.

"For him to go so long and the day session and all the crowd here that had been waiting all night outside, it was tough for everyone.

"But Marcos and I were in the same boat. He's a great guy and we just tried to put it all behind us when we got out here."

The two combatants embraced warmly at the net after their match for the ages.

For Hewitt, this truly was the win he was craving, the desperately-needed result to re-establish himself as a genuine force in the men's game.

Until outlasting the gallant Baghdatis, the former world No.1's only two victories over top-20 rivals in his past 10 majors had come against Latin claycourters David Ferrer and Guillermo Canas on his preferred grass courts at Wimbledon.

What's more, two of Baghdatis's only three previous defeats in 15 matches at Melbourne Park had come against the great Federer, one in the 2006 final and the other in the fourth round on the Cypriot's debut in 2005.

And he gained his priceless breakthrough in signature fashion, riding an emotional rollercoaster all the way to the finish.

At one point, Hewitt even seemed poised to receive a walkover into the fourth round when Baghdatis crumpled in a grimacing heap after rolling his ankle in the opening game of the third set.

But the 15th seed was back up and full of running minutes later - and breaking Hewitt's serve, much to the Australian's dismay.

Such a setback might have broken a lesser player, but Hewitt yet again showed he was made of sterner stuff than that.

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