Five-set triumph required for heaven-sent for Taylor Dent at U.S. Open Its needed heaven sent for Taylor Dent at U.S. Open.All of the fatigue, all o

Its needed heaven sent for Taylor Dent at U.S. Open.All of the fatigue, all of the agony, they never seemed so far in the past as when Dent was running a ring around the Grandstand court at the National Tennis Center Friday night, slapping five with the fans who just wanted a piece of one of the most improbable - perhaps only - victory laps the U.S. Open's No. 3 court has ever seen. Taylor Dent - who only a couple of years ago was told Taylor Dent might never walk again, let alone take such a triumphant jog - went 4hours and 13 minutes on the Grandstand to outlast Ivan Navarro of Spain, 6-4, 5-7, 6-7 (1), 7-5, 7-6 (9), in a second-round matchup of serve-and-volleyers that turned into the most captivating match of the tournament.

When it was over, Taylor Dent simply couldn't contain his joy, grabbing the chair umpire's microphone and telling the crowd, "I just want to say you guys are unbelievable, I love you. Let's go!"

They are going together into the third round of the Open, where Dent will meet the No. 2 ranked player in the world, Andy Murray, with all of the fans and none of the odds in his corner.

"My voice is hoarse, I'm so excited," Taylor Dent said on the court afterward as the crowd chanted "USA! USA!" "It wasn't the prettiest match, but my grit got me through today."

Today, Friday, for three years, his grit has seen him through, if not to the top of the tennis world. The Newport Beach, Calif., product once was considered one of the great American hopes in men's tennis, charted on a course alongside Andy Roddick and learning under the tutelage of Pete Sampras. He reached as high as the No. 21 ranking before beginning to suffer back pain so excruciating that hanging a picture in his house would knock him down for hours.

Three surgeries on his back cost him most of the last three years of his career and left him bedridden all day for up to eight months at a time. He was told to forget tennis, and that the broken vertebra that was threatening the nerves at the base of his back might land him in a wheelchair.

Taylor Dent said "I came to grips with the fact that I wasn't going to be able to play professional tennis anymore," he said.