Often in sport, it's tougher to beat a friend than a foe ? and that's what may have sparked one of the epics of this year's XL Capital Bermuda Open yesterday.

Every set bordering on a tie-breaker, bosom buddies Alex Bogomolov and Paul Goldstein pummelled each other as hard as they could physically and mentally and, when the clay dust of Coral Beach Club stopped swirling from their frantic running to and fro, they trudged from Centre Court together ? drained of energy, barely able to speak and receiving a joint standing ovation.

The scoreline ? 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 ? to Goldstein, pictured, in a marathon three hours and five minutes is but the bones of a story which unfolded around 19 service breaks and was punctuated by drama, intensity, emotional highs and lows and oscillating fortunes.

"It was all grit by both of us. If Bogie didn't have a long match yesterday and have to come back today then the match would have been his," said the modest winner, ignoring the fact that he too rebounded to overcome Jan-Michael Gambill in three sets in Tuesday's first round.

"He (Bogomolov) had it just as much as I did. I thought he was done midway through the second set because he not feeling well but he came back. He was down a break in the third and got back and had a chance to win it."

His assessment was spot on ? the match was perpetually on a knife-edge with neither player possessing the upper hand decisively.

Fireworks were to be had from the very first game of the second-round clash as Goldstein capitulated from 40-15 to see his serve broken via two double faults and a shot into the net. He returned the compliment immediately only to surrender his service again in the fifth game and break back once more in the sixth game.

Displaying similar styles and an overwhelming affinity for power-hitting from the baseline, the two Americans traded breaks for the third time in games eight and nine, leaving Goldstein ahead 5-4 and the set on serve.

Bogomolov then held serve comfortably and broke Goldstein for the fourth occasion with a classy topspin lob into the back court with the latter stranded at net to surge ahead 6-5. However, serving to go a set up, he stumbled as the gritty Goldstein produced a variety of winners: a cross-court drop shot, a passing forehand winner and then a backhand winner.

Just when a tiebreaker loomed at 15-40, Bogomolov found his touch and answered with a brilliant forehand to narrow the score to 30-40.

Thereafter, a succession of wayward backhands by an agitated Goldstein enabled his Russia-born opponent to clinch the game and set.

The second set was just as engrossing with Goldstein faltering in his first two service games and being 3-0 down, before rallying to take Bogomolov's service in the fourth game and be behind one break. In the eighth game, Goldstein punished Bogomolov's mistakes ? even returning a full-blooded smash ? and brought the set back on level terms 4-4 with his bread-and-butter backhand down the line.

As fate would have it, breaks were the order of the next two games and at 5-5 ? with little to choose between the friends ? the result was anybody's guess. Doggedly, though, Goldstein held at love for a vital 6-5 lead and closed out matters with his fourth break of the set in the following game.

The third set was another battle of nerves and attrition as the increasingly tired combatants retreated to their baseline haunts, abandoning, for the most part the net ? where more often than not they had proven susceptible to passing shots.

Not surprisingly, the breaks were again crucial with Goldstein striking first in the fourth game only to see Bogomolov break twice in the fifth and seventh games. The latter held in the eighth game, despite a medical time-out for his aching right quadricep, to take control 5-3.

Clearly motivated by thoughts of crashing out of the Challenger tournament, Goldstein summoned whatever reserves of strength remained in his lithe frame to wrest four games straight and a quarter-final berth. The outcome emanated from a blend of exquisite shots and errors by the wilting Bogomolov who looked a shadow of himself in his final two service games; surrendering them with a double fault and long backhand respectively.

"It's a miracle I'm still here and get to play another day," said 28-year-old Goldstein, panting hard, maintaining his sense of humour and helping his vanquished compatriot carry his racquet bags.

"I'm grateful but I can't take another war like that or I may not make it to the age of 29."

Bogomolov was gracious in defeat, admitting that fatigue scuppered his plans.

"Man, I feel tired. I played okay but Paulie is a great player. He is a grinder and I knew we were going to have a good match. He was tougher than me today. Goldie is my boy," said the 22-year-old, alluding to their camaraderie.

"So if I had to lose to someone, (there's) no-one better than my friend."

By contrast to this protracted encounter, Argentina's Franco Squillari despatched Ivo Minar of the Czech Republic 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the last eight. Brian Vahaly brushed aside fellow American Justin Gimelstob 6-4, 6-2 to also move a step closer to the title.