Watch: The Stanimal's Backhand in All its Glory

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Watch: The Stanimal's Backhand in All its Glory

Stan Wawrinka was standing on the precipice of what would have been a very disappointing third-round loss to British journeyman Dan Evans. But the Swiss never lost heart, saved a match point in the fourth set and went on to book his spot in the round of 16, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(8), 6-2.

"Trying to find my game," Wawrinka said. "I was frustrated, for sure, to be down two sets to one because I wasn't playing my best tennis. But still had a chance. So I was trying to find the right way, how to keep fighting, how to stay in the match, and how to make it break."

Wawrinka reaches the round of 16 at the U.S. Open for a fifth consecutive year and denies the British men a third entrant into the round of 16 for the first time in Open Era history (Kyle Edmund and Andy Murray did reach the round of 16, marking a milestone for the British nonetheless).

Facing a match point at 5-6 in the fourt-set tiebreaker, Wawrinka boldly approached to the Evans backhand and knocked off a forehand volley winner to level at 6-all. Two points later the No. 3 seed converted his third set point to send the festivities to a decider.

Wawrinka raced out to a 4-0 lead in set five before giving one break back. But he took the final two games to finish off the hard-fought win.

Wawrinka improves to 24-19 in five-setters for his career, while Evans drops to 1-4.

Evans, who has never finished a season inside the ATP’s Top 100, is currently ranked 64 and in the midst of his best season.

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