The Serb won the opening set decider 16-14 on his sixth set point, cupping his hand over his ear to encourage the Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd's roars of approval before pumping his fist in joy.
"Winning it was very important," the world number one said. "That was probably the turning point. After that it was a good performance."
Djokovic had his hands full figuring out the unorthodox style of his 22-year-old opponent as well as the swirling winds that swept over the National Tennis Center but his straight-sets win meant he still has yet to lose a set in the tournament.
"He played a lot of low balls, slices....I was confused on the court," he said. "But it was really exciting."
Djokovic advanced to a quarter-finals clash with his good friend and Davis Cup team mate Janko Tipsarevic, who beat Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain 7-5 6-7 7-5 6-2 in a match that lasted nearly four hours.
"It means there's going to be at least one Serbian in the semi-finals, which is great for our country," Djokovic said.
"I think this is the first time I play Janko in a Grand Slam. We are great friends. It's not going to be easy to play him, but look, it's the quarter-finals and we both want to win."
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