Edberg Manages to Stop Krajicek : U.S. Open: Second-seeded player rallies from being down a service break in fifth set.

Stefan Edberg, the defending men’s champion and No. 2 seed, got all he could handle from the No. 15 Richard Krajicek before winning, 6-4, 6-7 (8-6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, to reach the quarterfinals. Afterward, Edberg sounded as if he were delighted to play in the fierce heat for more than four hours.

“When you push yourself for four hours, you always feel a lot better the next day, even if you are sore,” Edberg said. “You are really feeling that you are hitting the ball well. I am sure that is going to be the case tomorrow. You need those, because it is not the same thing practicing for four hours. Playing a match like this, it is like 20, 30 hours of practice.”

In another fourth-round match, Wayne Ferreira beat Emilio Sanchez, 6-2, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

Edberg blew a chance to wrap up the match early when he sloppily slapped two volleys into the net at the end of the tiebreaker, and he looked like a loser when he fell behind 3-1 in the fifth set.

“To be down a break in the fifth set, it was not good news,” Edberg said. “But somehow I managed to get back in the match. I fought the way through.”

And he had a little help from Krajicek, who let one ball float by that virtually cost him he match.

Krajicek was serving at 30-40, up a break at 3-2 in the fifth set, when be boomed a serve to Edberg’s backhand. Edberg leaped almost horizontally to the court, stretching his racket and body as far as possible, and softly popped a windblown return. Krajicek had come in behind his serve but he had plenty of time to backpedal and put the ball away with and overhead. Instead, thinking it was going long, he let it drift over his head and watched dumbfounded as it landed six inches from the corner.

That break point was all the encouragement Edberg needed. He held at love to go ahead 4-3, and after an exchange of services, Edberg holding off two break points, he watched Krajicek make another crucial mistake-an easy forehand volley into the net at match point.

“This was a match I really wanted because I had lost to him twice,” Edberg said. “I had never beated Richard. I said to myself before today, I am going to give everything I have.”