MELBOURNE, Australia -- Aaron Krickstein called on some trusty old rackets Monday and did something he hadn't done for five years.
Unseeded Krickstein defeated No. 6 seed Stefan Edberg of Sweden 6-7 (6-8), 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 after a three-hour, 43-minute center court struggle at the Australian Open tennis championships.
Krickstein advanced to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time since the 1990 U.S. Open.
He also became the fifth American of the tournament to reach the quarterfinals.
The Swede -- a two-time winner of the Australian Open -- failed to make the quarterfinals here for the first time since 1983.
Krickstein, ranked 45th in the world, pulled some old Yonex rackets out of his closet after Christmas. He last used the rackets back in 1989 when he was ranked in the top 10.
"I played my best tennis in those years. Who knows why? Maybe they are magic rackets," he said.
Edberg had won his last seven meetings with Krickstein stretching back to 1989, but found the American too solid. Krickstein fought back to win after trailing by two sets to one and by 5-2 in the fourth.
Krickstein, a canny baseline counterpuncher, was able to defuse Edberg's power in probably the best match of the tournament so far.
"It was my match, but somehow he came back," Edberg said. "Maybe I should have won the match, but he came up with the right shots. It feels strange to lose a match like this."
Krickstein was one of two American men to advance Monday. No. 2 seed Andre Agassi was the other.
Agassi continued his run during his Australian Open debut with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 win over Australian Patrick Rafter.
Agassi completely outclassed Rafter, the last remaining Australian in the tournament, returning serve brilliantly to win in just 85 minutes.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov powered into the last eight of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his short but successful career when he beat American Todd Martin in straight sets.
The sometimes volatile Russian, seeded 10th, downed eighth-seeded Martin 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in just 96 minutes. Kafelnikov, 20, had not made it past the fourth round in his previous five Grand Slam tournaments but has risen from 104th to 12th in the world rankings over the past 12 months.
Martin made the final of the Australian Open last year before losing to fellow American Pete Sampras, but he had no answer to the power and precision of his tall, aggressive opponent.
Kafelnikov's combativeness earned him three $500 fines for racket and ball abuse in earlier rounds, but he kept his cool against Martin.
Martin, who had won his first three matches without dropping a set, certainly felt the pressure. He committed 50 unforced errors.
Power-serving Dutchman Jacco Eltingh triumphed 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 5-7, 6-4 over American Patrick McEnroe, slamming down 34 aces during his three-hour, 37-minute marathon victory.
The Dutchman, who along with Paul Haarhuis was part of the world's top-ranked doubles team last year, used his net-rushing tactics to good effect, advancing 174 times and winning the point 57 percent of the time.
On Sunday, defending champion Pete Sampras shook off his lethargy just in time, rallying from two sets down Sunday to defeat Sweden's Magnus Larsson and seal a place in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
Sampras was twice within two points of defeat in the third set against Larsson, but recovered to win 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 in three hours and seven minutes. It was one of the best comebacks of his career after a strangely sluggish start.
American Michael Chang, the No. 5 seed, continued his impressive run by advancing with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over unseeded Frenchman Olivier Delaitre.
"It's been a good first four rounds," Chang said after breaking Delaitre's serve six times. "I still feel very fresh."
Courier, the ninth seed and two-time champion, scored his fourth straight-sets victory by defeating Karel Novacek of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 and will now face his friend and rival Sampras in the quarterfinals.
Andrei Medvedev, the 20-year-old No.13 seed from Ukraine advanced to his first Australian Open quarterfinal defeating unseeded American David Wheaton 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 10-8 in a three-and-a-half-hour match and now plays Chang.
In the women's draw Monday, Angelica Gavaldon stunned error-plagued No. 3 seed Jana Novotna of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-0. The 21-year-old Mexican -- ranked 96th in the world -- equaled her quarterfinal appearance at the 1990 Australian Open.
Novotna, winner of 10 career titles, served two double faults from deuce in the final game to lose the match.
"I was just horrible today," Novotna said. "I can't remember the last time I struggled so much."
Two other unseeded players, Naoko Sawamatsu of Japan and Marianne Werdel Witmeyer of the United States, also advanced to the quarterfinals of the women's singles, along with No. 1 seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario of Spain.
Unseeded Krickstein defeated No. 6 seed Stefan Edberg of Sweden 6-7 (6-8), 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 after a three-hour, 43-minute center court struggle at the Australian Open tennis championships.
Krickstein advanced to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time since the 1990 U.S. Open.
He also became the fifth American of the tournament to reach the quarterfinals.
The Swede -- a two-time winner of the Australian Open -- failed to make the quarterfinals here for the first time since 1983.
Krickstein, ranked 45th in the world, pulled some old Yonex rackets out of his closet after Christmas. He last used the rackets back in 1989 when he was ranked in the top 10.
"I played my best tennis in those years. Who knows why? Maybe they are magic rackets," he said.
Edberg had won his last seven meetings with Krickstein stretching back to 1989, but found the American too solid. Krickstein fought back to win after trailing by two sets to one and by 5-2 in the fourth.
Krickstein, a canny baseline counterpuncher, was able to defuse Edberg's power in probably the best match of the tournament so far.
"It was my match, but somehow he came back," Edberg said. "Maybe I should have won the match, but he came up with the right shots. It feels strange to lose a match like this."
Krickstein was one of two American men to advance Monday. No. 2 seed Andre Agassi was the other.
Agassi continued his run during his Australian Open debut with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 win over Australian Patrick Rafter.
Agassi completely outclassed Rafter, the last remaining Australian in the tournament, returning serve brilliantly to win in just 85 minutes.
Yevgeny Kafelnikov powered into the last eight of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his short but successful career when he beat American Todd Martin in straight sets.
The sometimes volatile Russian, seeded 10th, downed eighth-seeded Martin 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in just 96 minutes. Kafelnikov, 20, had not made it past the fourth round in his previous five Grand Slam tournaments but has risen from 104th to 12th in the world rankings over the past 12 months.
Martin made the final of the Australian Open last year before losing to fellow American Pete Sampras, but he had no answer to the power and precision of his tall, aggressive opponent.
Kafelnikov's combativeness earned him three $500 fines for racket and ball abuse in earlier rounds, but he kept his cool against Martin.
Martin, who had won his first three matches without dropping a set, certainly felt the pressure. He committed 50 unforced errors.
Power-serving Dutchman Jacco Eltingh triumphed 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 5-7, 6-4 over American Patrick McEnroe, slamming down 34 aces during his three-hour, 37-minute marathon victory.
The Dutchman, who along with Paul Haarhuis was part of the world's top-ranked doubles team last year, used his net-rushing tactics to good effect, advancing 174 times and winning the point 57 percent of the time.
On Sunday, defending champion Pete Sampras shook off his lethargy just in time, rallying from two sets down Sunday to defeat Sweden's Magnus Larsson and seal a place in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
Sampras was twice within two points of defeat in the third set against Larsson, but recovered to win 4-6, 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 in three hours and seven minutes. It was one of the best comebacks of his career after a strangely sluggish start.
American Michael Chang, the No. 5 seed, continued his impressive run by advancing with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over unseeded Frenchman Olivier Delaitre.
"It's been a good first four rounds," Chang said after breaking Delaitre's serve six times. "I still feel very fresh."
Courier, the ninth seed and two-time champion, scored his fourth straight-sets victory by defeating Karel Novacek of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 and will now face his friend and rival Sampras in the quarterfinals.
Andrei Medvedev, the 20-year-old No.13 seed from Ukraine advanced to his first Australian Open quarterfinal defeating unseeded American David Wheaton 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 10-8 in a three-and-a-half-hour match and now plays Chang.
In the women's draw Monday, Angelica Gavaldon stunned error-plagued No. 3 seed Jana Novotna of the Czech Republic 7-5, 6-0. The 21-year-old Mexican -- ranked 96th in the world -- equaled her quarterfinal appearance at the 1990 Australian Open.
Novotna, winner of 10 career titles, served two double faults from deuce in the final game to lose the match.
"I was just horrible today," Novotna said. "I can't remember the last time I struggled so much."
Two other unseeded players, Naoko Sawamatsu of Japan and Marianne Werdel Witmeyer of the United States, also advanced to the quarterfinals of the women's singles, along with No. 1 seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario of Spain.
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