Only half of the men’s top 10 seeds have made Wimbledon third round with 2017 finalist Marin Cilic joining the casualty list on day four at the All England Club.
Roger Federer and South African world No.8 Kevin Anderson were joined in the third round by world No.1 Rafael Nadal and fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro on Thursday.
Three-time champion Novak Djokovic also marched on.
But third-seeded Cilic unexpectedly fell.
The Croat was stunned 3-6 1-6 6-4 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 by Argentina’s world No.82 Guido Pella in three hours 12 minutes.
Cilic last bowed out in the second round in 2013.
“I felt much more confident in my game, I served better and I felt so pumped,” said Pella, who reached the third round of a major for the first time.
Unseeded American Taylor Fritz also unexpectedly took a 2-1 lead over world No. 4 and tournament fourth seed Alexander Zverev before their second round match suspended by darkness.
Fritz was leading 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (0).
The 20-year-old is ranked 68th and has never been to the third round at a grand slam tournament.
They will resume with the start of the fourth set on Friday.
Del Potro showed he is shaping up nicely for tougher matches ahead with a 6-4 6-1 6-2 romp past Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez to reach the third round at Wimbledon on Thursday.
The big Argentine, in the same half of the draw as Nadal, was dominant throughout against the 36-year-old at his 66th consecutive grand slam tournament.
Del Potro faces Benoit Paire in the third round after the Frenchman upset 26th-seeded Canadian Denis Shapovalov.
Second seed Nadal beat Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin 6-4 6-3 6-4 in two hours 23 minutes to advance.
The Spaniard has now entered the third round at Wimbledon for the eighth time in his career, but for only the third time since he finished runner-up in 2011.
“I’m happy to be through. I think I played much better today,” Nadal said.
“I went on court with the determination to play at the right intensity. Happy for the victory and happy with way I played. I feel ready to compete.”
Djokovic beat Argentine Horacio Zeballos 6-1 6-2 6-3 to reach the last 31 for the 10th consecutive year.
The Serb next faces home hope Kyle Edmund, a 6-4 7-6 (7-0) 6-2 winner over American Bradley Klahn.
Ninth seed John Isner saved two match points and served 64 aces to overcome Belgian Ruben Bemelmans 6-1 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 in three hours 46 minutes to reach the third round.
The big-serving American’s ace tally was the third-most at Wimbledon, as he extended his winning streak against qualifiers at grand slams to 10 matches.
Nick Kyrgios, the 15th seed, also advanced in straight sets, beating Dutchman Robin Haase 6-3 6-4 7-5 to book a date with Kei Nishikori, who ousted Kyrgios’s fellow Australian Bernard Tomic 2-6 6-3 7-6 (9-7) 7-5.
