Andy Murray of Scotland, foreground, is handed a towel by a ball boy during Monday's match under the roof at Wimbledon. (Alastair Grant/Associated Press) The first indoor match at Wimbledon proved to be one of the most thrilling.
With a new retractable roof and lights permitting them to play later than anyone in tournament history, third-seeded Andy Murray of Britain prevailed in five sets over No. 19 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals at the All England Club on Monday.
The Centre Court showdown concluded at 10:39 p.m. local time, surpassing the previous mark of 9:35 p.m.
"It was pretty special," Murray said, who celebrated the victory by swatting a ball so hard it hit the translucent roof.
Murray, a 22-year-old Scotsman, is bidding to become the first Brit to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.
"I will have a pretty deep sleep after that one," he said, noting the conditions were "very, very heavy and very humid. Sweating so much, when I finished, it was like I had been in a bath."
Roger Federer of Switzerland once again defeated Robin Soderling, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5).
Federer never lost serve and hit 23 aces to improved to 11-0 against his Swedish opponent, including a win in the French Open final three weeks ago to clinch a career Grand Slam.
"Today was hard to get through a really dangerous match," Federer said. "Not many rallies, so maybe not as much fun for the people.
"But I stayed calm. Waited for my chance."
Federer, who is pursuing a sixth Wimbledon crown and a record 15th Grand Slam title, told reporters he is playing with more confidence than earlier the year.
"No signs of panics, what I maybe had, you know, six months ago when I played," he said. "I would just feel uneasy.
"I wouldn't be exactly sure what the right plays were. Now I feel perfect."
Elsewhere in the fourth round, it was:
- Novak Djokovic (4), Serbia, over Dudi Sela, Israel, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1.
- Ivo Karlovic (22), Croatia, over Fernando Verdasco (7), Spain, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (9).
- Juan Carlos Ferrero, Spain, upsetting Gilles Simon (8), France, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-2.
- Andy Roddick (6), U.S., over Tomas Berdych (20), Czech Republic, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-3.
- Lleyton Hewitt, Australia, surprising Radek Stepanek (23), Czech Republic, 4-6, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
- Tommy Haas (24), Germany, over Igor Andreev (29), Russia, 7-6 (8), 6-4, 6-4.
Two-time defending women's champion Venus Williams of the United States reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon for the 10th time in her pro career, when Ana Ivanovic was forced to retire early in the second set.
Ivanovic suffered a thigh injury as she served an ace to erase a break point in the opening game of the second set.
"I didn't feel anything up until that point," Ivanovic said. "When I landed, I just felt a sharp pain on my inner thigh and I couldn't step on my leg ever since."
Ivanovic took a 10-minute break to tape her thigh and returned for two more points, but began crying and told the umpire she had to retire with Williams leading 6-1, 0-1.
"I don't even know the last time that I had these circumstances," Williams said, sympathetically. "I don't think ever in a Slam.
"I think she was in a lot of pain. You know me вЂ" I'm one of those players, I just only pay attention to what's going on my side of the net.
"But today, I felt really sad for her actually. She was really upset.
"This is Wimbledon. It's the last place you want to have an injury that you can't overcome, so I'm wishing her a lot of luck in her recovery."
Less than an hour later, Serena Williams joined her elder sibling in the quarters with a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory over Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.
Serena, known for occasional bouts of sloppiness, was clinical against Hantuchova, committed just 12 unforced errors and converted a whopping 91 per cent of points on first serve.
She is seeking her third Wimbledon title after losing to her sister in last year's final.
Also in women's play, eighth-ranked Victoria Azarenka of Belarus defeated 10th-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-3.
No. 11 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland ended the hopes of surprising American teen Melanie Oudin with a 6-4, 7-5 victory.
Oudin had notched the biggest upset of the tournament so far, beating former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic on Saturday.
Elena Dementieva of Russia also advanced to the quarter-finals with a straight sets win.
Dementieva, seeded fourth, downed compatriot Elena Vesnina 6-1, 6-3.
Dementieva reached the semifinals last year, her best Wimbledon showing.
She will next meet Francesca Schiavone of Italy, a 6-2, 7-6 (1) winner over Virginie Razzano of France.
In a battle of teens, Sabine Lisicki of Germany continued a run that has surprised even herself, beating Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-4, 6-4.
Lisicki upended French Open champ Svetlana Kuznetsova in her previous match.
Toronto's Daniel Nestor and Serbian partner Nenad Zimonjic are looking to defend their Wimbledon men's doubles title.
The second-seeded pair ousted Britain's Jonathan Marray and Jamie Delado 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 on Monday.
Nestor and Zimonjic take on Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Austrian Oliver Marach in the final eight.
With files from The Associated Press