Lleyton Hewitt looked stunned. Even beaten. It was nearly midnight, and for the last four hours he and David Nalbandian had raced side to side, forward and back, grinding their way through 306 points of grueling tennis – 153 apiece.

It was eight games all, fifth set, and no one had lost a service game in more than an hour and a half. And somehow, incredibly, Nalbandian had just transformed a winning lob from Hewitt into a between-the-legs line drive that caught the Australian napping at midcourt. Instead of 15-40 and two break points, the score was 30 all.

It looked certain that Hewitt would not find his way out of this. In front of 15,000 fans on Australia Day, his country’s national holiday, he would squander a two-sets-to-love lead. Just like every other Australian since 1976, when Mark Edmondson won the title for his homeland, Hewitt would fail.

But seconds later, in equally incredible fashion, Nalbandian floated an easy backhand long. Hewitt had his break chance, and after 20 strokes, he made the most of it, taking a 9-8 lead on a swinging, two-handed volley winner. After he served out the match, Hewitt dropped to his knees and raised his arms as his fans regaled him.

Hewitt’s victory, a 6-3, 6-1, 1-6, 3-6, 10-8 marathon that lasted four hours and five minutes, was not only the best match of the tournament, but also the most important match by an Australian in Australia in 17 years. The last time a hometown hero found himself in a fifth set this late in the tournament, he lost 8-6 in the final at the hands of Mats Wilander. His name was Pat Cash.

“That’s what you dream of, playing those matches,” Hewitt said after his second straight five-set win. “The atmosphere out there was electric once again.”

No doubt the voltage will be turned up again when Hewitt takes on Andy Roddick in Friday’s semifinal. The American, seeded second, needed just an hour and 35 minutes to defeat Russia’s Nikolay Davydenko, who retired trailing 6-3, 7-5, 4-1 after encountering breathing problems. With Roddick and Hewitt advancing, the Australian Open became the first Grand Slam since 1995 in which the top four men advanced to the semifinals.

As the tournament nears its final weekend, Roddick has played under eight hours of tennis to Hewitt’s 14 1/2. He’s enjoyed the extra time off, too, winning $4,300 U.S. at the blackjack tables of Australia’s casinos. After his quarterfinal win, Roddick said he planned to watch Hewitt on television as he put his chips on the line.

“He’s got an advantage: he’s already in bed tonight,” Hewitt said of the well rested Roddick. “But come Friday at 7:30, I’ll be ready to go.” Asked if he could possibly have enough gas to pull off another win, Hewitt replied, “Probably as much as my Ferrari at home. I’ll keep going.”

Hewitt’s win over Nalbandian had everything. There were stupendous shots, numerous overruled line calls, arguments, even holiday fireworks that disrupted the rhythm of the third set. But they played a lot of mundane tennis as well; in fact, the second and third sets could only be described as pedestrian.

In the first two sets, Nalbandian at times played as if he had an early dinner engagement, patting the ball back and forth and letting Hewitt have his way. Not even a few rounds of Hewitt’s “Come on!” or a shoulder bump during a change of sides – at 3-2 in the second set – could get the Argentine riled up. In two sets, he committed 29 unforced errors.

It wasn’t long before the two switched roles, this time with Hewitt looking sluggish. Nalbandian needed only an hour and eight minutes to run off two sets. Before Nalbandian held for a 4-2 lead, service breaks were the norm: seven out of the 11 games.

The fifth set, though, was a match of its own, and Hewitt once again proved himself the most dogged player on the tour. Nalbandian had the advantage of serving first and he fought hard to make Hewitt play from behind.

At one game all and facing his second break point, Nalbandian benefited from the chair umpire’s overrule. Given the chance to play the point again, Nalbandian, a backcourt specialist, surprised Hewitt with a serve-and-volley winner. He went on to save another break point before regaining the lead. Before long, Hewitt faced elimination with every serve.

“It wasn’t easy always being down in the fifth set,” Hewitt said. “It was more a mental battle than anything, serving to stay in the tournament there a couple of times.”

At eight games all with Nalbandian serving, Hewitt took the first two points and looked to be on the verge of landing a final blow. Trailing love-30, Nalbandian moved Hewitt side to side, opening up a lane for a backhand winner down the line.

It was then that Nalbandian outdid himself. He tussled with Hewitt through a 16-shot rally, forcing his way to the net and placing a forehand volley crosscourt. But Hewitt was already in pursuit, having anticipated the angle. He flicked up a perfect lob, sending Nalbandian racing to the back corner. Nalbandian had no choice but to run up to the ball, let it drop, and fire it backwards through his own legs.

Hewitt’s father, sitting courtside, gave a half-hearted clap, looking miffed. Not to worry though: Hewitt, as is his fashion, was not to be denied. “Yet again I was able to come through in the clutch situations,” he said. “In the end I just played some of the bigger points a little bit better.”

In the semifinals, Roddick should have more than rest on his side. The slow courts of Melbourne are not Hewitt’s favorite, and should give Roddick more time on his service return games. On his own serve, Roddick has enough firepower to keep Hewitt at bay, while Hewitt would rather not have to generate his own pace. Hewitt’s only advantage could be mental: He’s beaten Roddick four out of five times, including a 6-3, 6-2 victory in their last meeting at the Tennis Masters Cup in Houston.

“I played a pretty good match that time,” Hewitt said. “I’m sure he’s going to learn a lot from that match and he’s going to come out and want revenge.”