BANGKOK - Lleyton Hewitt survived four match points to edge past Justin Gimelstob and take his place in the quarterfinals of the Thailand Opentennis tournament on Thursday.
The second-seeded Australian was made to scrap all the way before eventually clinching a 6-4 5-7 7-6 victory.
"When he keeps coming atyou like that he's a tough player to play against," a relieved Hewitt said.
"But in the clutch moments I played pretty well. That was probably the best I played, when the pressure was actually on. That's a good sign, but I haven't really served well the last couple of days and hopefully it can improve tomorrow." Hewitt faces home hero Paradorn Srichaphan next.
Roger Federer recovered his poise to cruise past Germany's Denis Gremelmayr 6-3 6-2.
The Swiss world No 1 has now won 74 matches this year, matching Spaniard Rafael Nadal, and looked far more comfortable than in his opening match.
Federer's frustration boiled over on Wednesday as he struggled to overcome Brazilian Marcos Daniel and he threw an uncharacteristic temper tantrum by slamming his racket to the ground.
"A different day, a different opponent. It changes everything," said the Wimbledon and US Open champion, who next faces Andy Roddick's US Open conqueror Gilles Muller.
