Last year’s runner-up Fritz is the sole American man left from the 23 who began the main draw and also the nation’s last hope of ending a 22-year major drought since Andy Roddick held aloft the sterling silver trophy at Flushing Meadows in 2003.

The 27-year-old went toe-to-toe with Machac in the opening set, which he clinched with a break in the 10th game after the Czech hit a backhand wide, and dialled up the intensity in the eighth game of the next set at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

A second break handed Fritz the advantage and he quickly doubled his lead in the encounter with a near-flawless service game, leaving his jolted opponent facing a daunting task to reach his maiden major quarter-final.

The writing was on the wall when Fritz fired a swerving ace down the ‘T’ to go 3-1 up in the third set, and the fourth seed held firm to book a last-eight clash with either 24-times Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic or German Jan-Lennard Struff.