Top seed Iga Swiatek saved two match points on Sunday as she put down the challenge of 14th seed Belinda Benic to move into the last eight at Wimbledon for the first time.
The 22-year-old Pole won 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 after three hours and three minutes of pulsating action in front of an enthralled Centre Court crowd.
Bencic, also vying for a spot in the last eight for the time, fought off six break points - including two set points - during the opening set which she eventually claimed in the shootout seven points to four.
A peeved Swiatek shuffled off at the changeover for a toilet break to reassess. She emerged revitalised and claimed the Bencic serve at the start of the second set.
But the 26-year-old Swiss refused to roll over. She kept Swiatek within sight and muscled her way back to level at 3-3.
Serving to stay in the match, Swiatek confidently sprayed in a forehand winner and a third ace on her way to 5-5.
Fright
But when trying to level at 6-6, it was far more tentative. A glaring backhand error coughed up two match points. The first was saved when Bencic could not run down a forehand into the corner and the second was snuffed out via a a backhand winner to reach deuce. And she world number one took it to a tiebreak.
In an equally nervous tiebreak, the first five points went against serve to leave Swiatek 3-2 up. She snaffled the next four points to put the match on an equal footing two hours and 14 minutes into the contest.
Bencic got the first break point of the decider at 1-1 but could not exploit it as Swiatek nudged 2-1 ahead. And then 3-1 after Bencic served two double faults in a disastrous service game.
Swiatek pushed on to 4-1 but Bencic refused to cede. And nearly an hour after asking Swiatek to serve to stay in the tie, she was in the same position.
Surge
Though she cut the deficit, Swiatek claimed her place in the last eight.
"I'm really happy," she said immediately after the match. "Because I needed that win to believe in my ability on grass."
Swiatek will play Elina Svitolina for a place in the semis. The Ukrainian, who returned to the tour in January following the birth of her first child, came from a set and a break down to beat the 19th seed Victoria Azarenka in a final set super tiebreak.
"After giving birth, this is the second happiest moment in my life," she said in an emotional post match interview on Court 1.
"It was extremely tough," she added. And gesturing to the fans in the stadium, she added: "When I was 0-2 down in the second set, I heard the crowd cheering and I wanted to cry. I was struggling point by point but you guys gave me so much strength."
Progress
Elsewhere in the women's draw, fourth seed Jessica Pegula advanced to the last eight at Wimbledon for the first time following a 6-1, 6-3 win over the Ukrainian veteran Lesia Tsurenko.
The 29-year-old American will take on the unseeded Czech Marketa Vondrousova who got past her compatriot Marie Bouzkova in three sets.
Sixteen-year-old Mirra Andreeva beat the 22nd seed Anastasia Potopova 6-2, 7-5 to reach the last-16 at one of the four Grand Slam tournaments for the first time in her fledgling career.
In the men's draw, the unseeded Russian Roman Safiullin beat the 26th seed Denis Shapovalov to move into the last eight on his first visit to Wimbledon.
The 25-year-old will take on the eighth seed Jannik Sinner who beat the unseeded Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan in straight sets.
Seventh seed Andrey Rublev edged Alexander Bublik in a gripping five setter. The Russian took the decider 6-4 after three hours and 17 minutes.
