Juan Martin del Potro has earned himself a chance to set the record straight against Rafael Nadal after finally sealing a place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
Del Potro completed an epic 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 7-6 (7-5) win over Frenchman Gilles Simon after fading light interrupted their last-16 clash on Monday night with the fifth seed up two sets to one.
The Argentine was in danger of being dragged into a fifth set when he squandered four match points, one with a double-fault, at 5-4 having hit back from 1-3 down.
He eventually finished off the world No.53 in the third tiebreak to move into his second Wimbledon quarter-final where twice champion Nadal is waiting.
Del Potro was thrashed by the Spaniard in the French Open semi-finals last month but feels his game matches up better against the No.1 on grass despite losing their only two meetings on the surface.
"It will be a different match that we played in Paris a few weeks ago," Del Potro said.
"I will try to hold my service games most of the time. If I want to beat him, I have to come to the net very often and play hard with my forehands, with my backhands."
Del Potro trails Nadal 10-5 in head-to-head meetings - his five wins all coming on hard courts.
With the Wimbledon lawns baked and playing more bouncy than usual after a long spell of hot weather in London, it could be the 29-year-old's best chance to stop Nadal's impressive run.
Del Potro will have to be firing on all cylinders though - something he was clearly not doing against Simon in cooler conditions on Tuesday as he made a meal of the fourth set.
Del Potro trailed 1-3 but, at 5-5 in the tiebreaker, he fired down an ace to reach match point No.5 and this time Simon cracked, netting a backhand to the relief of the Argentine who roared his approval, happy to conserve energy before taking on Nadal.
"I think I will be in good condition. My body feels okay," del Potro said.
"It's a big chance for me to face Rafa tomorrow."
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