Tennis: Long night of high drama at Australian Open

MELBOURNE - Pete Sampras held his nerve to get past the determined challenge of France's Nicolas Escude in a tense fifth set in the early hours of this morning to reach the Australian Open fourth round.

After blowing three match points in a fourth set tiebreak, Sampras, the number eight seed, regrouped to win the titanic battle 7-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 after three hours and 50 minutes of high drama.

He sent down his 33rd ace on his seventh match point as the clock hit 1.42 am (local time) to set up a last 16 match-up against the dangerous ninth seeded Russian Marat Safin.

Sampras, holder of a record-equalling 13 Grand Slam titles, has not won a major since Wimbledon 2000 but is hitting ominously good form in Melbourne.

With most of the top ten or so men's seeds falling in a tumultuous first week of tennis, Sampras will never have a better chance to make a run for a 14 Grand Slam.

"I let it get away there in the fourth set when I got tight - it was a tough match, a tough match," Sampras said.

"It was good tennis out there - we both played well, both had our chances. He is a very talented tennis player.

"I'm going to enjoy this for about five minutes and then look forward to Monday."

Escude was playing on the Rod Laver Arena centre court for the first time since leading France to a shock Davis Cup final victory over Australia last year, but just fell short of repeating the heroics of that December clash.

Sampras snatched the opening set under floodlights in 54 minutes, winning the tiebreak with some aggressive net play.

But Escude, the tournament's 30th seed, hit straight back in the second, breaking at 6-5 when Sampras double-faulted to square the match.

A single break in the third set, Sampras's first of the match, gave the American a two-sets-to-one lead as local time turned midnight and he broke Escude for 3-2 in the fourth.

In the fourth-set tiebreak, Sampras had every chance to close out the match when he jumped out to a 6-3 lead.

But he failed to take his chances and the Frenchman stunned the crowd by winning five straight points to take the tiebreak and force the match to a deciding 5th set.

Seemingly fired up by his wasted opportunities, Sampras raced out to a 4-0 advantage in the deciding set.

Despite some late resistence by the obdurate Escude, Sampras booked himself a spot in the tournament's second-week schedule with a 6-3 win in the 5th set.