Britain will have men’s and women’s quarter-finalists at Wimbledon for the first time since 1973 after wins for Andy Murray and Johanna Konta.
Sixth seed Konta beat France’s Caroline Garcia 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-4 on Court One to become the first British woman to reach the last eight since 1984.
Defending champion and top seed Murray then saw off Frenchman Benoit Paire 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 6-4 on Centre Court.
Konta will play Romanian second seed Simona Halep on Tuesday.
Murray takes on American 24th seed Sam Querrey on Wednesday.
It is 44 years since Britain last had a man and woman in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, when Roger Taylor and Virginia Wade made the last eight, and 33 years since Jo Durie was the last British woman to make it that far.
“When I was a little girl, and even now, I dreamed of being in these battles and on the big stages,” 26-year-old Konta told BBC Sport after her victory.
- Wimbledon live – video, radio & text
- World number one Kerber knocked out by Muguruza
- Take on the legends in our interactive game
‘It was such a tough match’
Konta rose to the challenge once again to make more history in her breakthrough Wimbledon campaign.
She had won just one match in five previous visits to the All England Club, but looks increasingly at home after coming through another test of nerve.
Garcia, 23, was once tipped by Murray as a future world number one and has started to realise that talent at the top of the game in 2017.
Konta needed over three hours to beat Donna Vekic in the second round and, although Monday’s was a much shorter match, Garcia put up similarly stern resistance.
The last time the pair met it came down to a final-set tie-break, won by Garcia, and again the margins were desperately tight in a match of big serves, attacking returns and short rallies.
Konta kept her error count down to just five in the first set and dominated the tie-break, after failing to serve out at 5-4.
Garcia then raced into a 5-1 lead in the second as she continued to serve well, while the Briton’s forehand began to falter.
However, Konta pegged her opponent back to 5-4 and, although Garcia clinched the set at the second opportunity, both women went into the decider with some momentum.
The match came down to the slimmest of margins. Konta lost just five points on serve and Garcia six – but the last of those was a match point and the French player snatched at a forehand and found the net.
Konta fell to her knees in celebration and said afterwards: “It was such a tough match to play.
“She is in impressive form. It’s hard to get any rhythm when she’s serving so well and gets her first strike in.
“I was happy that I was able to get enough returns in that final game. I was trying to stay light on my feet and strong in my body.”
‘That’s by far the best I have hit it this week’
Murray reached a 10th consecutive Wimbledon quarter-final with a straight-set win, working out the unorthodox Paire game over the course of two hours and 21 minutes.
They had met just once before, a dramatic match of twists and turns in Monte Carlo last year that 30-year-old Murray eventually won, and their second meeting was another unpredictable affair.
Paire, ranked 46th, played his part in disrupting Murray’s search for rhythm, as he threw in bursts of drop shots and deft volleys amid plenty of errors.
Four breaks of serve were shared across the opening eight games before Murray stamped his authority on proceedings in the tie-break and went 2-0 up in the second set.
A fizzing forehand pass would bring 28-year-old Paire level at 3-3 but Murray reeled off eight straight points to lead 5-4, and then fended off four break points to clinch a two-set lead.
Murray repeatedly voiced his frustration in the direction of his player box, and at one stage towards umpire Mohamed Lahyani after the official missed the Scot challenging a call.
However, the three-time Grand Slam champion’s big-match experience saw him through with the decisive break at 4-4 in the third set.
“I thought I played well today, apart from a couple of sloppy service games in the first set,” said Murray.
“That’s by far the best I have hit it this week. He’s not an easy guy to play – tactics aren’t easy against him.
“Two weeks ago I was resting and a bit concerned, it was frustrating. But I have managed it well and have played some good stuff. I’m doing well and hopefully will keep it up.”
