LONDON // Novak Djokovic’s dramatic fight to keep his Wimbledon title defence alive against South Africa’s Kevin Anderson was halted by fading light on Monday.
Djokovic, in danger of becoming the first top seed since Pete Sampras in 2001 to lose in the last 16, had recovered from two sets down to level the fourth round tie at 6-7 (6/8), 6-7 (6/8), 6-1, 6-4 when play was suspended on Court 1.
With only 16 minutes remaining until sunset, All England Club officials opted against moving the match to Centre Court to play the final set.
Boos rang out from the capacity crowd as two-time champion Djokovic and 14th seed Anderson made their way off court.
World No 1 Djokovic will have to return on Tuesday, traditionally reserved for the women’s quarter-finals, to see if he can complete his epic recovery and secure a last eight tie against US Open champion Marin Cilic.
In other news, French Open champion Wawrinka is still going strong at Wimbledon. The fourth-seeded Swiss advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating Goffin of Belgium 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 on Court 1.
Wawrinka also reached the quarter-finals at the All England Club last year, but he has never been any further.
To make it to the semi-finals, Wawrinka will have to beat Gasquet.
British No 3 seed Murray cut Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic down to size with a 7-6, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win to make the quarter-finals for the eighth successive year.
Karlovic, at 36 the oldest man to reach the last 16 in 39 years, fired 29 aces in the three-hour encounter, but that was well below par for a man who had blasted 136 in his first three rounds.
Murray hit 62 winners to the Croatian’s 75, but crucially only nine unforced errors to his rival’s 32.
“I came up with some good lobs and passing shots. I just needed to keep him low,” Murray said of his tactics of tackling the 6ft 11 ins Karlovic.
“It was an incredibly difficult match. It was mentally tiring because you just have to be ready when the chances come.”
Murray required seven set points to take the opener and just a single break for the second set. Karlovic saved one match point but was powerless on the second as Murray stretched his record over the Croatian to 6-0.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer is back in the quarter-finals. Federer beat 20th-seeded Roberta Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 on Centre Court, putting him in the quarters at the grass-court major for the 13th time.
Federer, who lost in last year’s final to Novak Djokovic, needs one more Wimbledon title to break the record he holds with Pete Sampras and 1880s player Willie Renshaw.
Federer was joined in the quarter-finals by Gilles Simon as the 12th-seeded Frenchman beat 2010 Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.
Simon has only once before reached the quarter-finals at a major tournament (2009 Australian Open), and Wimbledon had been the worst grand slam for Simon, 30.
He got as far as the fourth round once before, also in 2009.
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