Andy Roddick upset world number one Roger Federer 7-6, 4-6, 6-3 at the Sony Ericsson Open quarter-final on Thursday.
It was only Roddick's second win in 17 career meetings against the Swiss, his last success coming in Montreal five years ago.
"He hasn't missed a ball against me for about six years," Roddick told reporters. "I figured the law of statistics had to work for me eventually."
"I think I did well to hang in there," said Federer. "Maybe this is one of the matches I should have won against him because he's had some other ones where I think he was supposed to win. This time around it went his way."
Despite not forcing a break point until the eighth game of the third set, it was enough for Roddick, who broke to love when Federer dumped a forehand into the net.
The big-hitting American wrapped up victory on his third match point with a sizzling service winner.
Roddick admitted: "I was saying to myself 'Please hit a big serve and let this be done. I have an opportunity for this to be done in two-and-a-half-seconds.'"
Having been dictated to for a set and a half, Federer found some form, breaking in the ninth game of the second set to level the match.
"The second set and the third he was starting to play pretty well," said Roddick. "I just tried to stay there, stayed in there mentally...didn't want to get discouraged."
Twelve-times Grand Slam winner Federer has yet to reach a final this year.
Roddick will play world number four Nikolay Davydenko in the semi-finals after the Russian's emphatic 6-2, 6-1 win over Serbian Janko Tipsarevic.
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