The fourth-seeded Indo-Bahamian pair overcame some nervous moments before edging past the Indo-Pak pair 6-4 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 in a thrilling third-round encounter which was suspended for a while due to rain. Bhupathi and Knowles converted five of the 12 break points they earned.

The combine faced a tough battle from the start as their unseeded rivals were not willing to let go without a fight. Despite winning the first set, the going was never easy for the fourth seeds as Amritraj and Qureshi staged a spirited fightback in the second and drew parity.

With scores level, the third set turned out to be a rollercoaster ride as both sides fought to take the set to tie-breaker. However, Bhupathi and Knowles used their experience to seal it 7-3 after a 55-minute battle.

In the decider, Bhupathi and Knowles never allowed their opponents much leeway and raced away to 4-0 when rain suspended play for half an hour. However, the break had very little effect on the performance of the Indo-Bahamian pair and they clinched the next two games to knock their rivals out.

Federer packs off Soderling

Roger Federer remained the epitome of cool, Venus and Serena Williams hurtled towards another final showdown and Centre Court’s new roof finally closed as showers interrupted a heatwave at Wimbledon. After the mercury had shot past 30 degrees to herald the tournament’s second Monday, grey clouds rolled in, raindrops fell and former champion Amelie Mauresmo and world number one Dinara Safina became the first players to contest a competitive point under the gleaming canopy.

Top seed Safina needed all her battling qualities to beat former champion Mauresmo 4-6 6-3 6-4 under the closed Centre Court roof in the fourth round.

Five-time champion Federer, bidding for his own slice of history by winning a record 15th Grand Slam, nailed Sweden’s Robin Soderling, the man he beat in this month’s French Open final. In scorching temperatures the Swiss won what he later described as a serving contest 6-4 7-6 7-6.

Ivanovic retires

Second seed Serena, beaten last year by her older sister, thrashed Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova 6-3 6-1 while Venus was required to play just eight games to get past sobbing Serb Ana Ivanovic, who quit with a thigh injury after little more than half an hour on Court One. She now plays Agnieszka Radwanska, who ended the run of 17-year-old American Melanie Oudin 6-4 7-5.

Impressive fourth seed Elena Dementieva, a semi-finalist last year, polished off fellow Russian Elena Vesnina 6-1 6-3 to become the first player through to the last eight.

Germany’s Tommy Haas, the oldest player in the last 16, reached the last eight for the first time, outwitting Russia’s Igor Andreev 7-6 6-4 6-4. He will play fourth seed Novak Djokovic, one of nine former Grand Slam champions in fourth round action, after he beat Israel’s Dudi Sela 6-2 6-4 6-1.