Round two of the 2014 Australian Open finished very late last night in Melbourne, past midnight in fact. Heat and then rain delay pushed back play well beyond its anticipated finish. The quality and drama of the tennis seemed to kick it up a notch in this round, for there are some great matches to choose as the five best from round two.

5) Fabio Fognini d. Jarkko Nieminen, 7-5 6-4 3-6 6-2

In a match filled with some very high-quality ball-striking, the feisty Fognini played a more consistent, cleaner match than the workmanlike Nieminen. The Finn played a bit hot under the collar in this match and had plenty of chances but was only able to take advantage of them in the third set.  Nieminen was likely too defensive in this match, while Fognini only had one major mental lapse that led to a break in the third set. Otherwise, he saved 14 total break points in the match and fired 51 winners, compared to just 24 for Nieminen.

The major turning point that kept this match from going the distance was Fognini saving three break points at the start of the fourth set. He immediately broke Nieminen in the next game, but the match was entertaining from start to finish, which is why it sneaks into the list against some stiff competition.

4) Tommy Robredo d. Julien Benneteau, 6-3 6-7(4) 6-1 7-6(6)

Tommy Robredo followed up a five-set opening win over Lukas Rosol with yet another warrior-like performance against solid competitor Julien Benneteau. Robredo played a solid first set to edge in front of the Frenchman, but Benneteau raised his game in set two as he came into the net effectively and converted his fifth set point.

Robredo would serve and return well to take the third with a breadstick, but the point of the match and one of the best shots of the tournament would come when he trailed 2-4 in the fourth set.  At that moment, he was chased down a net approach from Benneteau on the forehand side, in full running stretch, and lasered a forehand down the line for the winner. Robredo broke back in that game and held serve until the tiebreak, where he snapped a forehand to the corner on his second match point to get the win. Robredo was only broken once in 11 break points for the match, and he fired 66 winners compared to a mere 25 unforced errors.

3) Teymuraz Gabashvili d. Fernando Verdasco, 7-6(1) 3-6 2-6 6-4 6-4

This was either another fiasco for Verdasco, or a gutsy performance for the veteran Gabashvili, who will reach a career-high ranking again with his third-round result.  They battled back and forth for four sets, and then the fifth was a match of its own.

Gabashvili was lucky to sneak out the first set in a tiebreak as Verdasco double-faulted twice and hit five unforced errors. But then he dropped a two routine sets to the former Australian Open semifinalist.  Gabashvili had to get some medical treatment from the trainer and was not fully fit late in the match. But he was clutch to sneak out the fourth set with a late break as Verdasco missed a seemingly easy smash. In the fifth set, Gabashvili served for the match at 5-3 after Verdasco broke himself by hitting four straight double faults at 2-3 in that set. After he was broken at love in that situation, Verdasco would double-fault twice at 4-5 to hand Gabashvili the match. It wasn’t the highest quality, but it was a dramatic rollercoaster. Gabashvili won a great defensive point with a running return down the line to set up the final match point.

2) Benoit Paire d. Nick Kyrgios, 6-7(5) 6-7(5) 6-4 6-2 6-2

This passionate, boisterous match finished past midnight in Melbourne. 18-year-old Aussie Nick Kyrgios showed some serious game to go with his swagger and very nearly upset Benoit Paire, but the flamboyant Frenchman would stage a late comeback to book himself a spot in the third round.

Paire had five set points in the opening set, serving at 5-4, but he wasted them all. Kyrgios then saved two more break points on his serve with clutch play in the next game, and Paire would save four set points on his serve at 5-6. Kyrgios finally converted on his third set point of the tiebreak to end a first set that lasted nearly an hour.

Paire, who has an elite backhand and a forehand that leaves much to be desired, leaned on his backhand to do damage while firing 32 aces. Kyrgios countered with a powerful first serve and a snappy forehand that, if he can keep it under control, scores a lot of winners for him. In the second set, Paire would get a set point on the Kyrgios serve at 4-5. It was saved in the most improbable fashion when Kyrgios approached the net off a Paire return, scooping a low ball across the length of the court for an drop-shot winner while running in the opposite direction. The level of hitting approached a fever pitch late in the second set, where a forehand winner followed by a big serve would clinch a wo-set lead for Kyrgios.

Kyrgios would then break Paire for a 7-6 7-6 2-0 lead, but then the traffic went in the opposite direction. Paire broke back immediately, then later broke Kyrgios again and served out the third set to keep the match alive. The Frenchman, who is known for his attitude, enjoyed his evening performance as the villain of the match.

Kyrgios slowly but surely began to run out of steam.  Paire closed out the fourth set under much less pressure, and in the fifth set Kyrgios was cramping to the point that he could barely walk, and he couldn’t serve or return effectively. From there, the result was never in doubt.

1) Roberto Bautista Agut d. Juan Martin Del Potro, 4-6 6-3 5-7 6-4 7-5

In a late-night match that lasted nearly four hours, Roberto Bautista Agut played aggressive tennis against a flat Del Potro and prevailed in five sets.

Del Potro led by two sets to one and a break in the fourth set, but the Spaniard would pull the match back from the brink. Bautista Agut played efficiently and aggressively, breaking back, and then he broke again at the end of the fourth set to squeeze it out.

In the fifth set, they would hold serve all the way, and Del Potro would get a sniff of a chance with Bautista Agut serving at 4-5 but no match points.  In the next game, the underdog would use his forehand to get himself a break point, convert it, and then serve out the match with two huge aces. Since he hadn’t hit many aces all match, it was a refreshing way to finish.

It was another early Melbourne exit for Del Potro, but Bautista Agut earned the biggest upset of the tournament with 72 winners. He also won 71% of his net points and converted five of eight break points, compared to Del Potro’s dismal 4/17 ratio.