Serena Williams and Justine Henin came closer to a US Open quarter-final meeting, joining Serbian stars Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic.
NEW YORK: Serena Williams and Justine Henin came closer to a US Open quarter-final meeting, joining Serbian stars Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic in making the round of 16 on a Friday that tested male favorites.
World number three Novak Djokovic overcame painful leg cramps to outlast Radek Stepanek in a gruelling five-set thriller while eighth seed Tommy Robredo rallied in the fifth set to thwart American Mardy Fish's marathon upset bid.
And Spanish world number two Rafael Nadal, who ousted Djokovic at Wimbledon and the French Open, was set to test his sore left knee in a night match against Serb Janko Tipsarevic at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
World number one Henin breezed past Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-0, 6-2 in 50 minutes. Henin next faces Russian Dinara Safina, the 15th seed who defeated American Ahsha Rolle 6-4, 6-3.
"I was very happy with the way I played," Henin said. "I was aggressive from the first point to the end. I'm very happy about that."
US eighth seed Williams, who won her eighth Grand Slam title at January's Australian Open, made 35 unforced errors but managed to outlast Russia's Vera Zvonareva 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).
Williams booked a fourth-round date with France's Marion Bartoli, who lost to Serena's elder sister Venus Williams in July's Wimbledon final.
Venus Williams, seeded 12th, met Ukranian 21st seed Alona Bondarenko later for a round-of-16 spot opposite fifth seed Ivanovic, whom she beat in a Wimbledon semi-final. Ivanovic eliminated Russian Vera Dushevina 6-1, 6-3.
Third seed Jankovic rallied past French teen qualifier Alize Cornet 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 and will face Germany's Sybille Bammer in the other round of 16 match.
Serbian compatriot Djokovic, who reached his first Grand Slam semi-finals this year at Wimbledon and the French Open, conquered his 34th-ranked Czech rival 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) after four hours 44 minutes.
"We played an amazing match. The match was unforgettable," Djokovic said. "I really don't know what to say. I'm really exhausted. I have no energy."
Djokovic advanced to a third-round match against 59th-ranked Argentine teen Juan Martin Del Potro, who beat Austrian Jurgen Melzer 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 and was confident his fitness could offset the toll of the marathon match.
"I'm very proud of myself. I don't even know how I managed to win," he said. "I'm happy with the way I was fighting all the way through. We had an unbelievable fight in a remarkable match. It was great fun."
Two cramping men who could barely stand received standing ovations from the crowd, Stepanek hugging Djokovic after the Serb sank to his knees following a backhand winner that ended the stamina-shredding struggle.
"That match was really special. After such a match, it had to be done. I didn't plan it. I just felt it was something to do," Stepanek said.
"To play in such an atmosphere is just amazing. You want to leave everything you have on the court. I think we both did. I gave everything I had."
Djokovic's most recent of four titles this year came in Montreal when he beat world number one Roger Federer, Nadal and number three Andy Roddick - the first man since Boris Becker in 1994 to defeat the top three in the same event.
Stepanek, 28, was undone when he netted a forehand volley to surrender a decisive break in the final game of the fourth set.
Nadal, who beat Federer in the French Open final but lost to him in the Wimbledon final, injured his knee during a workout Sunday and struggled through a first-round victory over Australian wild card Alun Jones.
Federer, seeking his 12th Grand Slam title and fourth US Open title in a row, returns to action with a third-round match Saturday against 199th-ranked American John Isner.
Half the men's draw is up for grabs with Nadal hurting, Chilean seventh seed Fernando Gonzalez out, Djokovic nearly Czech-ing out and Spaniard Robredo pushed to the limit at Arthur Ashe Stadium before escaping.
Robredo, 25, beat American Mardy Fish 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (7/9), 6-4 in three hours 29 minutes and will next face 89th-ranked Latvian teen Ernests Gulbis.
Robredo squandered two match points in the fourth-set tie-breaker then fell behind 4-1 in the fifth before breaking Fish at love in the sixth game and again on his third break chance in the eighth game before holding to advance.
"I wasn't thinking to win this match. I was just fighting to the end. I was praying to God for a chance," Robredo said. "I had a big monkey on my back that I had never won on this court. Now the monkey is gone."
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