Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray stayed on course for a showdown in Sunday's final as they powered through to the last eight at Wimbledon.
Having seen women's top seed Serena Williams crash out of the tournament in the opening match on Centre Court, Djokovic and Murray would have been both wary of falling victim to another upset - especially after the defeats of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal last week.
Despite a brief wobble in the second set, Murray progressed, defeating Mikhail Youzhny 6-4 7-6 (7/5) 6-1 to set up a quarter-final on Wednesday against Spain's Fernando Verdasco.
Djokovic followed Murray on court, and continued his near-flawless progression through the tournament with a 6-4 6-1 7-6 (7/4) win over German 13th seed Tommy Haas.
Djokovic broke his opponent's serve six times during a match lasting two hours and 12 minutes, and despite having his own serve taken for the first time this fortnight he never looked like losing.
That was despite the man on the other side of the net having inflicted defeat on him in the Wimbledon quarter-finals four years ago.
"I had a bad record against him, I lost twice in 2009 against him and he is a grass-court specialist, so it was a tough challenge for me, but I played really well," said top seed Djokovic.
"I had to work hard, but I was serving well, returning exceptionally good in important moments.
"I had a minor setback when he broke me at 5-3 in the third set, but I am glad I closed it out."
Tomas Berdych, another man who has beaten Djokovic at Wimbledon before, stands in the Serbian's way of a place in the semi-finals.
Berdych denied Djokovic a place in the 2010 final when he beat the world number one in straight sets, but the man from Belgrade is a changed player and now has six grand slams titles behind him, including Wimbledon two years ago.
"I think I am playing really good tennis at this moment, better than in 2011 when I won it, so I feel confident," Djokovic said.
Berdych came out on top in the battle of the big-hitters on Court one, beating Bernard Tomic 6-7 (4/7) 7-6 (7/5) 6-4 6-4.
Verdasco booked his place in the last eight with a 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory over Kenny De Schepper.
The Spaniard followed up his win with a celebratory jig that mimicked the moves of El Fary - a famous Spanish actor and singer who died six years ago.
The curious-looking dance could come out again if he overcomes Murray on Wednesday.
"My coach is a big fan of El Fary. He was listening to his music all day yesterday so I told him if I win, I will do the dance for him," Verdasco said. "If I win maybe I will do it again, let's see."
Verdasco's compatriot David Ferrer overcame Ivan Dodig in four sets and a tricky next opponent will be Argentinian Juan Martin Del Potro, who beat 23rd seed Andreas Seppi 6-4 7-6 (7/2) 6-3.
Lukasz Kubot and Jerzy Janowicz will face off in an all-Polish quarter-final - a first for Wimbledon - after they recorded victories over Adrian Mannarino and Jurgen Melzer respectively.