Day five at the 2017 US Open guaranteed that there would be a debut finalist when 2014 winner Marin Cilic was eliminated courtesy of Argentine Diego Schwartzman, who is enjoying his best season.
Diego surrendered a foot in height to the 5th seed and plenty of experience at this level and on a hard court.
However, the Croatian commited so many unforced errors, eighty for the match, evenly spread over the four sets, it helped him to bow out of the tournament, leaving Frenchman Lucas Pouille (16) as the highest seed left in the bottom half of the draw.
American, John Isner (10) was written in by many American commentators as a later combatant for compatriot Sam Querrey, but was outgunned by Mischa Zverev (23) later in the evening in three decisive sets, 6-4 6-3 7-6 (5).
Zverev outdid his younger brother in this event, and in the battle with Isner hit 34 winners and incredibly only was awarded 7 unforced errors for the entire match.
The Canadian teenager who has lit up the Open continues to delight the crowd. 18 year old Denis Shapovalov dismissed his older young Brit opponent Kyle Edmund in a Commonwealth Games clash.
Edmund began well, capturing the opening set 6-3, but only managed 6 games in the next two sets. Sadly the Jim Courier look alike retired after just one game into the fourth set, sending Shapovalov straight into the round of sixteen to play 12th seed Pablo Carreno Busta. The Spaniard ended the run of Frenchman Nicolas Mahut in their third round match.
Fourth round matches in the bottom part of the draw are:
Sam Querrey (17) v Mischa Zverev (23)
Denis Shapovalov v Pablo Carreno Busta (12)
Paolo Lorenzi v Kevin Anderson (28) - Lorenzi beat Fabbiano while Anderson accounted for Coric
Lucas Pouille (16) v Diego Schwartzman - Pouille defeated Kukushkin to reach the round of sixteen
Half of the remaining women played their matches and Petra Kvitova (13) slaughtered Caroline Garcia (18) in what I mistakenly called a match to watch,
The twice Wimbledon champ channelled her grass court expertise and converted it into a hard court lesson for luckless Garcia who was left with a third round losers cheque and a sorry score line 6-0 6-4.
Traditionally a poor US Open performer, Kvitova is making up for her past failures and also for her missing time on the circuit this year.
Petra faced no break points on her serve but converted four of the ten she created on Caroline's serve.
The Czech star also won half of the points on the French girl's serve.
Petra has won 38 games in her three matches so far, while surrendering just 17.
However she now faces her toughest test in the round of sixteen - world number three, Wimbledon champ, and the hottest player on the tour right now, Garbine Muguruza.
If the tournament stopped here, the Spaniard would be world number one. She has won 36 games and lost only 9 en route to possibly the match of the tournament to date with Kvitova.
Two of those games were donated to Magdalena Rybarikova (31) in the third round, the same player she defeated in the Wimbledon semi final.
One of those games was when - shock, horror - Garbine dropped her serve.
Still something had to happen to break the trend of a 56 to 30 point demolition.
Muguruza has displayed the best tennis of the tournament thus far and will take some beating.
Maybe it will come from Sloane Stephens, who has also been in tip top form so far, her latest victim Ash Barty, who just couldn't take advantage of opportunities that came her way. Stephens was far too solid and won in two sets.
Both players have much to be proud of this year.
Barty began with a ranking of 271 on 2 January and has progressed to what will be a career high of 36 when rankings are released after the completion of the US Open.
Stephens has an even more amazing story. Out with injury, her ranking had slipped to 934 as recently as 7 August. Two semi finals later and she entered Flushing Meadows ranked 83.
After reaching the fourth round here, she is guaranteed a rise to 61 - winning the tournament would rocket her to the top twenty.
The round of sixteen decided in the bottom half of the draw:
Petra Kvitova (13) v Garbine Muguruza (3)
Venus Williams (9) v Carla Suarez Navarro - Venus became an Auntie before her match when Serena gave birth. Carla defeated Wozniacki's conqueror Ekaterina Makarova and Venus overcame Maria Sakkari.
Maria Sharapova v Anastasija Sevastova (16) - Sharapova defeated Sofia Kenin and Sevastova defeated Donna Vekic.
Julia Georges (30) v Sloane Stephens - Goerges defeated Aleksandra Krunic.
Of the 24 remaining women, 6 from the USA, 3 from the Czech Republic, 3 from Russia - that's half.
Two each from Latvia, Japan and Spain.
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