All-conquering Swiss Roger Federer knows that his road to a sixth US Open crown could only get rougher after dispatching Austrian Jurgen Melzer 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to qualify for his 26th grand slam consecutive quarter-final.

He now faces an imposing Swede Robin Soderling, who progressed with a 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-3 win over Spaniard Albert Montanes, and is one of the elite few who has managed to knock off the world's greatest players on the game's greatest stages in recent years.

Soderling, a two-time Roland Garros runner-up, stressed Federer in a thrilling Open quarter-final last year and says he lives for opportunities like Tuesday's.

"It's always a very nice feeling to play against the world's best. It's matches like that you train for," Soderling said.

Federer described Soderling as a great player.

"He's having an incredible last couple of years now. He's always been a dangerous player, but these days he's able to do it consistently at the highest level. It looks like he's going to finish in the top five at the end of the year, so this has obviously been a tough draw for me, to play the quarters against Robin," the 16-times major winner said. (ANI)