Top-seeded Roger Federer again had to fight back from a set down before beating Denis Istomin 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Swiss Indoors on Thursday.
Federer struggled in the opening set, and even walked toward his chair early in the first game before realizing there was still a point to play.
Istomin had taken just a set off Federer in five previous meetings, last year in Basel, but the Uzbekistan player took the lead after breaking in the sixth game.
However, Federer fought back and took a commanding lead in the second set after breaking when Istomin hit a backhand long.
Istomin battled to stay in the match and saved seven break points in the final set before finally succumbing to Federer in the third game and the second-ranked home favorite went on to clinch the match with a love service game.
Federer, who is looking for his sixth Swiss Indoors title after finishing runner-up in the past two editions, next faces fifth-seeded Grigor Dimitrov after the Bulgarian eased past Vasek Pospisil of Canada 6-2, 6-2.
Ealier, fourth-seeded Milos Raonic of Canada hit 22 aces, including on match point, to beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2).
Raonic earned the only break of the match to take the opening set and then dominated the final-set tiebreaker, converting his first of four match points to seal the win after nearly 2 hours, 20 minutes.
Raonic, who beat Young in two sets in Washington earlier this year, next faces Belgium's David Goffin.
Eighth-seeded Ivo Karlovic also advanced after coming from a set down to defeat qualifier Kenny De Schepper of France 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-3 in just under 2 hours.
The Croatian will face Benjamin Becker in the quarterfinals. The German eased through after Mikhail Kukushkin, who had upset Stanislas Wawrinka in the opening round, retired when trailing 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4), 4-0.
Borna Coric set up a quarterfinal against childhood idol Rafael Nadal as the 17-year-old Croatian comfortably beat Andrey Golubev 6-4, 6-4.
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