Three-times Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic roared his way into the fourth round with a 6-4 6-1 7-6(2) defeat of unpredictable Latvian Ernests Gulbis on Centre Court.
The 30-year-old Serb began slowly before taking control and then snuffed out a Gulbis counter-attack in the third set to set up a clash with Frenchman Adrian Mannarino.
Djokovic, seeded two, looked fired up throughout the contest, telling the umpire to “focus” early on after some close line calls and then bellowing at himself after winning two points in the third-set tiebreak.
“I’m delighted, I raised my level of tennis today compared to the first two rounds,” Djokovic, who has reached the second week for the 10th time, said.
“This was the most focussed I’ve been on the court for the last couple of weeks.”
Roger Federer eased into the last 16 with a 7-6(3) 6-4 6-4 victory over German serve-volley expert Mischa Zverev, to stay on course for a record eighth Wimbledon title.
The 35-year-old Swiss is looking to become the oldest man in the professional era to win the title and has not dropped a set in his opening three encounters at this year’s tournament.
World number 30, Zverev, who had not beaten Federer in four previous attempts, hoped to upset the 18-times grand slam champion by doggedly following his serve into the net, but had only limited success.
He forced a tiebreak in the first set, which Federer won without losing a point on serve, and then the Swiss took control, breaking once in each of the next two sets before wrapping up victory with an ace.
Up next for the Swiss is Grigor Dimitrov who enjoyed an easy one-hour work-out to reach the fourth round after his opponent, Dudi Sela, became the ninth player to retire from the men’s draw.
The Israeli needed attention on what appeared to be a groin injury and ended up going off court with the trainer at the end of the first set to receive treatment.
The 10-minute interruption failed to throw Dimitrov off stride and once he was up 6-1
6-1, Sela indicated he could no longer continue.
If Angelique Kerber hopes to become the first German to win the Wimbledon title since Steffi Graf in 1996, she will have to draw up an emergency game plan as she cannot afford to keep flirting with danger as she did against American outsider Shelby Rogers.
Kerber, who was runner-up to Serena Williams last year, has struggled for form in recent months and lived dangerously for more than two hours yesterday before eventually securing a 4-6 7-6(2) 6-4 victory.
That Kerber eventually landed safely in the fourth round was more down to Rogers’s lack of grasscourt experience than the German suddenly finding her range.
Rogers belted down 48 winners compared with just 25 from Kerber but she was eventually undone by her unforced errors – the final tally totalling 47.
Next up for Kerber is a clash against Garbine Muguruza.
The Spaniard is one of only four women left in the women’s draw to have made it to a Wimbledon final but two years on from that feat, she still wonders quite how she did it.
Muguruza yesterday thrashed Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-2 6-2.
“I never feel that comfortable in grass. Every time I start the grass season, I’m like, ‘how the hell did I (reach) that final? This kind of feeling,” said the 2016 French Open champion.
“The experience I have now ... for sure helps me. But it’s tough.”