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World No.1 Novak Djokovic has beaten Lleyton Hewitt in four sets to move into the Australian Open quarter-finals.
His heart pinned to his sleeve, Australia's hopes pinned on his shoulders.
Lleyton Hewitt's default position at the Australian Open for a decade and a half wasn't about to change in his fourth round clash against Novak Djokovic in one of his best performances at the tournament he has cherished, but never won.
Hewitt lost 6-1 6-3 4-6 6-3 to world No.1 Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena in the early hours of Tuesday morning, all the while showing his customary fight.
At 30, with little recent tennis and under a major injury cloud, Hewitt looked gone at two sets and 3-0 down as Djokovic ran riot.
It wasn't that Hewitt played badly - he just couldn't get a look-in as the Serbian produced extraordinary tennis.
But as he so often does, Hewitt showed remarkable resolve to grind his way back into the contest, winning six of the next seven games in the third set to force an unlikely fourth.
After a fascinating struggle through the early part of what proved the final set, Djokovic eventually broke Hewitt to go 4-2 up and closed out the match in two hours and 56 minutes.
Hewitt, who appeared close to tears as he salvaged victory in the third set, was not letting on whether this was his Melbourne Park swansong after 12 months troubled by injury - in particularly a serious foot problem.
"The last few months I have been trying to focus on getting as much out of myself as possible - I haven't even thought about it," Hewitt said when asked about his future and expectations for the year.
"Considering where I was three or four weeks ago, it's been a pretty fair effort (at the Open)."
Djokovic will now play Spaniard David Ferrer after the fifth seed brushed aside Frenchman Richard Gasquet in straight sets on Monday.
Hewitt was the last remaining Australian in the singles draw.
In the men's quarter-finals on Tuesday, third seed Roger Federer takes on Argentine 11th seed Juan Martin Del Potro, while second seed Rafael Nadal plays Czech Tomas Berdych, the seventh seed.
Women's world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki attempts to stay on track for her maiden grand slam win when she takes on defending champion Kim Clijsters in her quarter-final.
Third seed Victoria Azarenka plays eighth seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska in Tuesday's other quarter-final.
