Katie Boulter produced the biggest win of her career by upsetting Wimbledon finalist Karolina Pliskova on Centre Court to reach the third round of a grand slam for the first time.
The British number three went into the match full of confidence after a fine run of tournaments on the grass, including victory over Pliskova in Eastbourne last week.
Boulter thrilled the home crowd by coming from a set down to win 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-4.
The roof was surprisingly closed for the match despite conditions being dry and play continuing on the outdoor courts.
This was the second year in a row playing on Centre for Boulter after her narrow loss to semi-finalist Aryna Sabalenka at the same stage last year.
Centre Court rises for @katiecboulter 🇬🇧
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2022
The Brit has beaten last year's finalist, Karolina Pliskova, 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-4#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/ihGLhsZQ5l
Sabalenka's run was ended by Pliskova, who reached her second slam final, but this has not been a good season for the Czech, who missed the Australian Open with a broken arm and has not managed to find any momentum.
She had won back-to-back matches just twice all year prior to arriving at the All England Club and the sixth seed quickly found herself a break down as Boulter settled well and powered into a 2-0 lead.
The indoor conditions suited Pliskova, though, and she began to find rhythm on her serve and groundstrokes, reeling off five games in a row.
Boulter needed her opponent's serve to drop a level to get back into the match and that happened early in the second as double faults gave the British player breaks for 3-1 and 4-2.
She was broken straight back both times but held firm to force a tie-break and made the perfect start by winning the first four points.
Pliskova responded with three in a row but Boulter, who had noticeably begun to go for a little bit more on her groundstrokes, kept her nose in front and claimed her second set point.
The 25-year-old's talent has never been in doubt but staying fit consistently has so far proved impossible, which has kept her outside the top 100 for most of her career.
She had grown into this match brilliantly and kept Pliskova at arm's length throughout the deciding set before making the crucial breakthrough to lead 5-4.
And Boulter was nerveless serving it out, planting a final volley into the open court and pumping her fists in delight.
World number one Iga Swiatek negotiated a tricky assignment against Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove to progress into the third round and extend her winning streak to 37 matches.
The two-time French Open champion was broken twice in the opener by the lucky loser from the Netherlands but regrouped to take the first set on Court One.
Pattinama Kerkhove continued to cause problems for the Polish player and forced a decider, where Swiatek showed her class with two stylish winners able to seal a break in the fourth game on her way to a 6-4 4-6 6-3 victory.
Heather Watson needed only eight minutes on Thursday to reach round three for the first time in five years with a straight sets victory over Wang Qiang.
The British number three saw her round two tie suspended on Wednesday night due to bad light after she had been broken while trying to serve for the match.
Watson returned to Court 18 at 1.43pm and despite failing to take her first two match points, got the job done at the third time of asking to break again and secure a 7-5 6-4 win.
Former Wimbledon champion Simona Halep fought back from deficits in both sets to defeat retiring Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 7-5 6-4 on Thursday and power into the last 32.
The 36-year-old Flipkens, who is playing in her 50th and final Grand Slam, had a 5-2 lead in the first set and a 4-1 advantage in the second but the 2019 champion rallied on both occasions to complete the victory in straight sets.
A heartwarming moment 🤗
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 30, 2022
Following the final singles match of her career, @FlipperKF and @Simona_Halep share an embrace at the net#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/AtGBs6gjGy
It was the sixth win for Romanian Halep against Flipkens in as many matches and the duo hugged each other for a long time at the net after the match as the Belgian burst into tears as her singles career came to an end.
In the opening set there were seven breaks of serve, but it was 16th seed Halep who came out on top against Flipkens, who achieved her greatest grand slam success at Wimbledon when she reached the semi-finals in 2013.
The 2018 French Open champion suffered an early break in the second set but bounced back to break her opponent's serve twice to wrap up the contest in one hour 23 minutes.
Halep will next face Poland's 92nd ranked Magdalena Frech for a place in the fourth round.
Fourth seed Paula Badosa needed just 72 minutes to book a third-round meeting with Petra Kvitova after a 6-3 6-2 victory over Irina Bara.
Double Wimbledon champion Kvitova needed a little longer to see off Ana Bogdan 6-1 7-6 (7-5).
Elina Rybakina, seeded 17th, edged out Bianca Andreescu 6-4 7-6 (7-5) to bring the former US Open winner's comeback showing at Wimbledon to an end.
Elise Mertens and Barbora Krejcikova were among the other seeds to progress.
A number of Americans also tasted victory on Thursday, with 20th seed Amanda Anisimova winning in three sets against compatriot Lauren Davis while eighth seed Jessica Pegula also battled to victory over British hopeful Harriet Dart following a decider.
