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Wawrinka beats Robredo to reach U.S. Open quarters

Sep 1, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) reacts after winning the first set of his match against Tommy Robredo (ESP) on day eight of the 2014 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka fought off two set points in the pivotal third set on the way to a 7-5 4-6 7-6(7) 6-2 win over Spain's Tommy Robredo on Monday to reach the quarter-finals of the U.S. Open. After splitting the first two sets, the third-seeded Swiss trailed 6-4 in the third-set tiebreaker but battled back to win 9-7 and closed out the victory over the Spanish 16th seed in the fourth set. "It was a really tough battle today. It's always tough to play against him, he is always fighting," said Wawrinka, who showed his competitive fire with a dive into the stands during a point in the tight confines of Louis Armstrong Stadium. Wawrinka will play either big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic, the fifth seed, or 10th-seeded Kei Nishikori of Japan in the quarter-finals. (Reporting by Larry Fine; Editing by Peter Rutherford)