Former finalist Garbine Muguruza and the Pat Cash-coached Coco Vandeweghe have emerged as serious Wimbledon title threats after edging ominously towards a semi-final showdown in a blown-open women's draw.
Muguruza showcased her championship credentials with an inspired 4-6 6-4 6-4 fourth-round comeback win over world No.1 Angelique Kerber before Vandeweghe ousted fifth seed Caroline Wozniacki 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 on so-called "Manic Monday" at The All England Club.
Runner-up in 2015 to Serena Williams, Muguruza rallied from a service break down in the deciding set and fought off a series of break points in an epic 12-minute game before prevailing in a two-hour, 20-minute thriller.
Spain's 2016 French Open winner will play dual grand slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in Tuesday's quarter-finals after the Russian seventh seed outclassed 2012 finalist Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2 6-4 to be the first woman through to the last eight.
Triumphant in New York in 2004 and Paris in 2009, 32-year-old Kuznetsova will be contesting her fourth quarter-final on the London lawns - but first in a decade.
The victor will face either Vandeweghe or unseeded Magdalena Rybarikova on Thursday for a spot in Saturday's title decider.
Rybarikova had crashed out in the first round in eight of her previous nine trips to Wimbledon and needed an injury-protected ranking to gain a start in 2017 after being sidelined for almost seven months after last year's edition.
But the unfancied Slovak ended the run of Croatian qualifier Petra Martic with a 6-4 2-6 6-3 victory, easily the most significant result of her career.
With Australia's 1987 men's champion once again watching on from her courtside box, the serve-volleying Vandeweghe converted with Cash-like 85 per cent efficiency at the net in her straight-sets defeat of former No.1 Wozniacki.
"She served very well. I thought she played pretty consistent," Wozniacki said.
"She played pretty good volleys, too, when she had to, came up with those.
"So it was tough. I didn't get many openings on her serve."
Veteran Venus Williams's hopes of a sixth singles crown remain alive after the 37-year-old crushed Croatian teenager Ana Konjuh 6-3 6-2 in 64 minutes to become the oldest quarter-finalist since Martina Navratilova in 1994.
The American will face French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko in the quarter-finals after the Latvian extended her grand slam singles winning streak to 11 matches with a 6-3 7-6 (8-6) triumph over fourth seed Elina Svitolina.
Britain's hopes of a first local winner since Virginia Wade in 1977 remain alive after seventh seed Johanna Konta survived a 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-4 workout from Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia.
The Sydney-born Konta will take on world No.2 Simona Halep in her maiden quarter-final after the Romanian ended Victoria Azarenka's return to grand slam action with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 fourth-round win.
The Belarusian former world No.1 and two-time Australian Open champion had been playing just her second event since having her first child last December.
But she was unable to stop Halep, who will take Kerber's top ranking if she topples Konta.
WOMEN'S QUARTER-FINAL MATCH-UPS AT WIMBLEDON ON TUESDAY:
CENTRE COURT
10-Venus Williams (USA) v 13-Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)
2-Simona Halep (ROM) v 6-Johanna Konta (GBR)
COURT ONE
7-Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 14-Garbine Muguruza (ESP)
24-Coco Vandeweghe (USA) v Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK)
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