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Melbourne - US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro survived another searching examination to make his way into the last 16 at the Australian Open on Friday.
The Argentine fourth seed emerged from a two hour 34 minute dogfight with Florian Mayer to down the 60th-ranked German, 6-3, 0-6, 6-4, 7-5 on Rod Laver Arena.
Del Potro will play either 14th seeded Croat Marin Cilic or 19th Swiss seed Stanislas Wawrinka in the fourth round.
It has been rugged work for the Argentine giant at the year's opening Grand Slam.
He needed four sets to get past American Michael Russell in the first round and five sets to overcome another American James Blake in the second round.
Del Potro, who won the US Open in his 14th Grand Slam last September, broke Mayer's serve five times, twice in the opening set, once in the third and twice in the final set.
But he found Mayer a determined customer and only had one point to spare over the German at the end, 118 to 117.
He beat Mayer in straight sets in the second round at last year's Australian Open.
Del Potro, utilising his imposing reach, cracked 45 winners and 11 aces, but that was offset by 46 unforced errors.
The Argentine 21-year-old looked to be heading for a comfortable afternoon's work on centre court when he twice broke Mayer's opening three service games, but hit a rut when he failed to win a game in the second set.
Del Potro gained some measure of control in the third and fourth sets to see off Mayer's challenge.
Del Potro became a sports hero in Argentina when he became the first South American to win a US Open since compatriot Guillermo Vilas in 1977.
His accomplishment was all the greater for ending Roger Federer's five-year US Open title run after eclipsing Rafael Nadal in the semi-final.
Results from day five of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Friday (x denotes seeding):
Men's singles
3rd round
Andy Roddick (USA x7) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3)
Fernando Gonzalez (CHI x11) bt Evgeny Korolev (KAZ) 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
Andy Murray (GBR x5) bt Florent Serra (FRA) 7-5, 6-1, 6-4
John Isner (USA x33 bt Gael Monfils (FRA x12) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5)
Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG x4) bt Florian Mayer (GER) 6-3, 0-6, 6-4, 7-5
Women's singles
3rd round
Dinara Safina (RUS x2) bt Elena Baltacha (GBR) 6-1, 6-2
Alona Bondarenko (UKR x31) bt Jelena Jankovic (SRB x8) 6-2, 6-3
Justin Henin (BEL) bt Alisa Kleybanova (RUS x27) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) bt Sara Errani (ITA) 6-1, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3
Maria Kirilenko (RUS) bt Roberta Vinci (ITA) 7-5, 7-6 (7/4)
Zheng Jie (CHN) bt Marion Bartoli (FRA x11) 5-7, 6-3, 6-0
