LONDON -- It was about 6 o'clock local time when, after a day of showers, all hell (finally) broke loose beyond the Centre Court roof.
In an effort to preserve its cherished silent middle Sunday, the All England Club sent four third-round matches scheduled for more prominent courts out to the hinterlands. Only two main-draw singles matches -- No. 5 seed Stan Wawrinka versus Denis Istomin, and No. 9 John Isner versus No. 19. Feliciano Lopez -- were postponed until Monday.
So as the clock swept past 7 p.m., there were no fewer than 10 third-round singles matches going on simultaneously. The middle Monday is celebrated as the best day in tennis, but this might have been the densest three hours in recent Grand Slam history.
Call it Searing Suppertime Saturday.
• Eugenie Bouchard, the 20-year-old Canadian, continues to amaze. She's through to the fourth round after defeating No. 20 Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 6-4. Instead of playing No. 1 Serena Williams, she's fortunate to draw upset winner Alize Cornet.
• No. 9 Angelique Kerber defeated 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and will play the tournament's new favorite, Maria Sharapova.
• Nineteen-year-old Australian Nick Kyrgios is officially a phenomenon. He defeated Jiri Vesely 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-2. Next up: No. 2 Rafael Nadal.
Keys hanging on
With the stunning loss of Serena Williams to Alize Cornet and the less-surprising departure of Alison Riske at the hands of French Open champion Maria Sharapova, give yourself a hearty round of applause if you said before the tournament that 19-year-old Floridian Madison Keys would be the last American woman in the main draw.
Her match with Yaroslava Shvedova didn't get started until the dusk was already settling in -- and then the two played some seriously competitive tennis. Shvedova won a first-set tiebreaker but -- despite repeated chances to take the second set -- couldn't quite get there.
The match could have been suspended after Keys broke Shvedova for a 6-5 lead because the trainer was called to the court. Keys was treated with what appeared to be a left thigh injury, when she already had her right thigh heavily taped.
When Keys served and couldn't close the deal, against the American's objections, the match was suspended at 9:36 local time.
Meanwhile, over on Court No. 1, No. 11 Ana Ivanovic and No. 19 Sabine Lisicki had battled for the right to play the winner of that match. Lisicki, a finalist here a year ago, won the first set 6-4, but the match was called with Ivanovic to serve at 1-all in the second.
Halep still standing ... again
Suddenly, No. 3 seed Simona Halep is the highest-seeded women's player left in the draw. Pardon us, if this sounds vaguely familiar.
After No. 1 Serena Williams and No. 2 Li Na departed early at the French Open, the 22-year-old Romanian played her way into the finals, where she lost to Maria Sharapova. Halep defeated Belinda Bencic 6-4, 6-1 out on Court 12 and has the easiest-looking fourth match, against unseeded Zarina Diyas. The 20-year-old from Kazakhstan defeated Vera Zvonareva 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-3.
No. 8 is enough
Milos Raonic, the 23-year-old from Canada, is through to the fourth round after a 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory over Lukasz Kubot.
He will play the winner of the match between No. 10 Kei Nishikori-Simone Bolelli, which was 3-all in the fifth set when it was suspended because of darkness.
No. 4 Roger Federer, a straight-sets victor over Santiago Giraldo, found out his fourth-round opponent. Tommy Robredo defeated Wimbledon semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz, the No. 15 seed, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-3.