Rafael Nadal eased into the quarter-finals of Wimbledon after another straight-sets win over Botic van de Zandschulp.
Nadal, 36, defeated the 21st seed on his way to the French Open title last month and repeated it at Wimbledon with an efficient 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (6) victory.
Success over the Dutchman in two hours and 21 minutes saw proceedings on Centre Court end comfortably before the 11pm curfew,
That curfew almost left defending champion Novak Djokovic in limbo on Sunday, with not even the roof required as the Spaniard stayed on course for a calendar year Grand Slam.
The 22-time major winner needed more than three-and-a-half hours to win his first-round tie but had grown into the tournament with each contest.
It was the bounce of the balls that caused some initial problems for Nadal and saw him have an early chat with the umpire, before van de Zandschulp tried in vain to turn it into a close contest.
A wonderful forehand winner on the run earned applause from the Centre Court crowd but it was all too fleeting for the Dutchman, who was broken in the decisive 10th game of the opening set at the second time of asking.
Five games in a row saw Nadal grasp control of the clash and a delightful drop shot clinched another break, with a third handed over after a double-fault by van de Zandschulp.
It had taken the double-Wimbledon champion just over two hours to see off Lorenzo Sonego in round two but his eagerness for a rapid finish here hit a speed bump.
While van de Zandschulp’s early break was immediately cancelled out, Nadal’s animated punches of the air after he stooped low to make a brilliant backhand winner were short-lived.
The world No 25 hit back from 5-2 down to force a tie-breaker, after both players had slipped on the grass, but a missed forehand smash saw Nadal get over the line from his fifth match point.
It sets up a reunion with American Taylor Fritz, who beat the world No 4 in the Indian Wells final in March.
Fritz again won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 over Jason Kubler to extend his winning streak on grass to eight matches after success in Eastbourne last month.
“It is crazy to go from where I was at maybe mentally after Queen’s, like feeling injured, I’ve just lost like three matches in a row, to now I’m in my first slam quarter-final,” the 11th seed said.
“It’s a big jump. It’s so interesting. It’s kind of like how tennis is. One, two good weeks, five or six good matches in a row, can kind of just change everything.”
Unseeded Cristian Garin produced a remarkable comeback to beat Alex De Minaur after he saved two match points and fought back from two sets down to win in five.
Garin, 26, triumphed 2-6, 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (6) to become the first Chilean into the last eight of a grand slam since Fernando Gonzalez at the US Open in 2009.
De Minaur let slip a break point in the 11th game of the third set and then wasted two break points in the decider at 5-4 up to go down after four hours and 34 minutes of enthralling action.
“(This) is something very special for me," Garin said. "Wimbledon, I said this many times, is my favourite tournament. Every time that I play this tournament is something special.
“To be in the quarter-finals here is a dream. I will try to enjoy it. I will try to give my best in the next round.”
Next up for Garin is a first meeting with Nick Kyrgios, who also needed five sets to beat Brandon Nakashima.
The Australian won the Centre Court encounter 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-2 to make the last eight at the All England Club.
Kyrgios, who was able to shake off a troublesome right shoulder, said: “I’ve played so much tennis in the last month and a half, so I almost knew that it was time for my body to start feeling some niggles.
“I think that’s normal. At this time in the event I don’t think anyone is feeling 100 per cent.
“It’s just something I manage. Mentally I feel like I just deal with these things a lot better now.”
