Novak Djokovic mounted a remarkable comeback from a set down to defeat Alex De Minaur 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 and secure his place in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.
The seven-time champion looked in serious trouble after the Australian ninth seed dominated the opening set, taking it 6-1 in a stunning display that left Centre Court spectators in disbelief.
De Minaur's aggressive play saw him break Djokovic's serve three times in the first set alone, with the Serbian struggling to find answers against his opponent's relentless pressure.
However, the world number six showed his championship mettle by fighting back to claim victory in four sets.
Novak Djokovic is through to the next round of Wimbledon
The second set proved equally unpredictable, with both players trading breaks in a chaotic opening.
Djokovic secured an early break only to see De Minaur immediately respond, before the Serbian broke again following a gruelling 34-stroke rally to lead 3-1.
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As the crowd erupted in noise, Djokovic asked for more from the fans on Centre Court, having looked despondent with the lack of support and making his thoughts clear by cupping his ear to the spectators.
The Australian refused to surrender, breaking back once more to level at 3-3 after Djokovic had been broken five times in under 90 minutes.
The turning point came when Djokovic broke De Minaur to love in the seventh game before finally holding serve to claim the set 6-4, letting out a roar of relief.
With momentum shifting, Djokovic secured the third set 6-4 and never looked back.
"I don't know how I'm feeling to be honest. I'm still trying to process the whole match and what happened on the court," Djokovic said afterwards.
The Serbian acknowledged the challenging conditions and his opponent's superior start: "It wasn't a great start for me, it was a great start for Alex de Minaur obviously.
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Novak Djokovic had to battle through to manage a comeback win over Alex De Minaur
PA
"He broke my serve three times in the first set. We had very windy and swirly conditions on court."
Djokovic praised De Minaur's speed and grass-court abilities: "He is one of the quickest players, if not the quickest player, we have on the tour. On the grass, where the ball bounces very low, it is extremely difficult to play someone like him."
The victory came just two days after Djokovic achieved a historic milestone, becoming only the third player to reach 100 wins at Wimbledon, joining Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer.
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Alex De Minaur put up a brilliant fight but ultimately his early momentum fell apart
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Federer himself was present in the Royal Box to witness his former rival's latest triumph as Djokovic continues his pursuit of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.
The result extended De Minaur's poor record against top-10 opponents, having now lost 12 consecutive matches against players in that bracket.
For Djokovic, who has lost just two matches on Wimbledon grass this decade, the quarter-final berth keeps his championship hopes firmly alive.
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