Novak Djokovic has shaken off a wobble midway through his clash with big-serving Pole Hubert Hurkacz to book his Wimbledon quarter-final berth, while fellow defending champion Elena Rybakina advanced after an injury to Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Third seed Daniil Medvedev went through to the last eight for the first time, after ailing Czech Jiri Lehecka pulled up with a right foot injury, while trailing 6-4 6-2, before Christopher Eubanks stunned fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Holder Djokovic, 36, resumed his clash with Hurkacz, after edging two tiebreaks before the tournament's strict 11pm curfew, and dropped his first set of the tournament, before sealing a 7-6(6) 7-6(6) 5-7 6-4 victory.
"He put up a great performance," said a relieved Djokovic, who withstood a barrage of 333 booming aces from Hurkacz to remain on course for his fifth straight Wimbledon title and a men's record-equalling eighth overall.
"I don't recall the last time I felt this miserable on returning games, to be honest, because of his incredibly accurate and powerful serve. I mean he's got one of the best serves in the world and it's so difficult to read it."
Second seed Djokovic will hope his 101st match at Wimbledon - against seventh-seeded Russian Andrey Rublev in the last eight - will mark a return to vintage form.
Meanwhile, Rybakina found an easier route into the quarter-finals, after her Brazilian opponent retired with a back injury, while trailing the third seed 4-1 in the first set.
Tunisian sixth seed Ons Jabeur set up the last eight clash with Rybakina, after crushing out-of-sorts former champion Petra Kvitova 6-0 6-3 in a Centre Court demolition job.
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus continued her march towards a second Grand Slam title of 2023, as the Australian Open champion beat Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4 6-0.
Both players were absent from the tournament last year, after the grasscourt Grand Slam banned competitors from Russia and ally Belarus, due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, which it calls a "special military operation".
It was the end of the road for another Russian - Mirra Andreeva, 16 - who fell 3-6 7-6(4) 6-2 to American Madison Keys, after being handed a point penalty late in the decider, after appearing to throw her racket to the ground.
Keys, seeded 25th, will meet Sabalenka in the quarter-finals.
Fellow American Eubanks had a day to celebrate, moving past Tsitsipas 3-6 7-6(4) 3-6 6-4 6-4 to make the quarter-finals on his Wimbledon debut.
"I feel like I'm living a dream right now, this is absolutely insane," said Eubanks, who meets Medvedev next.
"It's surreal, it's unbelievable... I can't believe it."
Reuters
