NEW YORK -- Two years ago, Taylor Dent told ESPN.com that Andy Roddick's mental game kept him ahead of the other young Americans -- an area in which Dent was still "a little green."

	Taylor Dent scrapes a volley up against Fernando Gonzalez on Saturday night.

That seems to be changing. On Saturday night, Dent won the first five-set match of his career when he defeated Fernando Gonzalez 7-6 (9), 6-7 (3), 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4. Before, when he would get down, Dent would self-destruct. He had the skills but lacked the confidence.

"I know that people who followed my tennis have known that on my days, I could compete and beat anybody," Dent said. "I was a very dangerous player. But the problem is that day would come, you know, once every three months, fourth months.

"So, I think my consistency is getting better. The fact that I'm getting tougher to break, you know, can't do anything but give me confidence. All I need to do is learn how to break guys a little bit more, I'll be set."

There are still blips. After the rain delay, Dent was serving for the second set at 7-6 (9), 5-4. He made three double faults.

"I just got back out there, and I was trying to stay calm," Dent said. "But inside I was so juiced up. Come out there trying to hit my second serve mach-5. I ended up hitting three doubles that game, giving it away.

"But, you know, those things happen. It's all part of the maturing process for me."

In the past two years, Dent has improved his touch at the net and learned to wait for the right moment to come in. You see, what he is, folks, is a true serve and volleyer. One of the last among a sea of baseliners.

Because of that, he plays best on fast hard courts or grass surfaces. He earned his second title this year in Memphis defeating Andy Roddick. His only other ATP Tour title came on grass at Newport in 2001. At Wimbledon this year, he suffered a disappointing first-round loss to Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Dent, 22, comes from good tennis genes. His American mother, Betty Ann (Grubb) Stuart, is a former top 10 player. But it was his Aussie dad, Phil Dent, an Australian Open finalist in 1971, who taught his son to serve and volley. It makes Dent a refreshing change. The senior Dent, unlike many tennis parents, also knew when it was time to quit coaching his son -- for them, around age 17.

"Around that age with every father and son," Dent said, "I think there's a little extra tension. He said, 'Look, I want you to be the best tennis player you can be. And I don't think I'm the answer for you right now.'

"He said: 'Maybe when we both mature down the road, we'll get back together and start working together. But right now, it's best for your tennis if I just step aside.'

"So, you know, it was really great that he did that."

After that, Dent was coached for a while by Eliot Teltscher. Since last November he's been working with Jim Courier's old coach Brad Stine. It was Stine who recently recommended trainer Nick Anthony, who has Dent sprinting up and down the Newport Dunes near his home in Huntington Beach, Calif. Once the sprints are finished, they head to the beach for wind sprints in the sand. It's all quick, short bursts -- designed to fit his explosive style of game.

Even after Saturday night's long, rain-delayed match, Dent said he could have gone a few more sets. And although part of that was the high of reaching the round of 16 for the first time in a major, Dent didn't look the least bit tired in his post-match press conference.

"He was running my butt all around the court," Dent said. "It was a good confidence booster for me physically."

That's a good thing because he's facing the No. 1 seed next. Andre Agassi is known for turning players into pawns in his personal pinball game -- bouncing them from side to side. Dent is 0-2 against Agassi, but Dent has had his moments against the older American. It was against Agassi in Miami in 2001 that Dent hit a 142 mph serve. Later that year, he broke the record at Wimbledon with 144 mph -- a mere five mph below the all-time record of 149 mph held by Greg Rusedski.

Dent's current strategy with players is to hold serve and if he can't get a break -- use his serve as an advantage in a tiebreak. That strategy worked in the past against Agassi when it was tried by another serve-volleyer who officially retired last Monday -- Pete Sampras.

However, the next generation of Americana has yet to win a matchup against Sampras or Agassi when it counts in a major. Roddick lost to Sampras in last year's quarterfinals. Plus, Dent won't have surprise on his side, and an opponent who is respected by Agassi usually wishes Agassi didn't respect him quite so much.

"That guy, he's unbelievable," Dent said.

"I'm just hoping that I execute my game like I can. If I do that, I believe I have a good enough chance to beat anybody."

We'll find out Monday.

Cynthia Faulkner is the tennis editor at ESPN.com.