LONDON: Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz remained on track to make the dream final at Wimbledon on Monday as defending women’s champion Elena Rybakina reached the quarter-finals after feeling pretty tough.

Last year’s finalist, Anas Jaber, beat defending champion Petra Kvitova 6-0, 6-3, while second seed Aryna Sabalenka won in straight sets.

Djokovic tamed Hubert Hurkacz’s stellar serve to stay on track for a record-equalling eighth title and 24th Grand Slam title, winning 7-6 (6/8), 7-6 (6/8), 5-7, 6-4 to reach to the quarter-finals of the tournament.

The second seeded Serb was in two sets when a locally agreed-upon 11:00pm curfew halted play on Sunday.

The match resumed on Center Court on Monday and the Polish 17th seed broke his illustrious opponent in the 12th game to gain a foothold in the match.

In the fourth set, Djokovic broke to lead 4-3, ending Hurkacz’s streak of 67 perfect service matches in the tournament this year.

Winning his 100th match at the tournament gave the Serb his 90th victory.

“In key moments, especially in the fourth, I was able to read his serve, make that break. That was the key to success,” said the 36-year-old, who will face Russia’s Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals.

Alcaraz lost the first set to 2021 runner-up Matteo Berrettini, but recovered to reach the quarter-finals for the first time, winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

The Spaniard has little grassland experience in his short career, but he won last month’s tournament in Queen’s to put himself on the path to qualifying for the Wimbledon title.

“I really wanted to play the quarter-finals here, and this year I came with that goal,” said the US Open champion, who reached the fourth round at the All England Club last year.

“My dream is to play in a final here, and to win this title one day, so I hope to achieve that dream this year, but now it’s great to be in the quarter-finals.”

Alcaraz will face sixth seed Holger Rohn after his fellow 20-year-old beat veteran Grigor Dimitrov 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.

Men’s third seed Daniil Medvedev was leading 6-4 6-2 when unseeded Jiri Liska pulled out of the first court match with a foot injury.

He will face Russian Christopher Eubanks, the 43rd seed, who beat fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.

The American called grass the “dumbest” surface to play on last month but has now changed his tune.

“Grass and I, we’ve had a pretty tortuous relationship over the years, but right now I think she’s my best friend,” he said.

The first result of the day was in Court No. 2, where 16-year-old Mira Andreeva’s novel ended.

The teenager, a qualifier, looked poised for a spot in the quarter-finals when he led 25th seed Madison Keys with a set and 4-1 but the American fought back to win 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2.

The match ended in controversy when Andreeva was awarded a penalty point for hitting her racket on the roof.

I took Keys’ punishment to fit the point.

Andreeva said she was seeking to connect with Roger Federer, who was a hot player in his younger days.

“I knew Roger Federer had feelings as a teenager,” she said of the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

“I’m not the only one struggling either.”

In the opener on Center Court, Rybakina was leading 3-1 when Brazil’s world No. 13 Beatriz Haddad-Maia took a medical timeout to treat a lower back injury. She returned to the court but had to retire when trailing 4-1.

Kazakhstan’s third seed Rybakina will play Jabeur in the quarter-finals in a rematch of last year’s final after she swept Tunisia’s Kvitova aside in just over an hour.

“I’m probably going to take revenge,” she said. “It was a tough final last year. It will bring a lot of memories.

“I hope to play like today and win because she’s a great player.”

In the other women’s fourth-round match, second seed Sabalenka of Belarus, who won the Australian Open this year, beat Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-0 and will play Keys next.