Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz survives another huge scare on Centre Court as he edges Ugo Humbert out for a place in the quarter-finals

Carlos Alcaraz has taken a step closer to defending his Wimbledon crown with a battling 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 win over Ugo Humbert. 

The Spaniard was given a major scare in the previous round when Frances Tiafoe took him five sets - and he got another here.

Just when this looked to be an easy afternoon's work for Alcaraz, he was blown away 6-1 in the third set as Humbert turned a one-sided contest into a proper match.

Early breaks were exchanged to start the fourth and in a topsy-turvy set that could have gone either way, it was Alcaraz who converted two huge break points at 5-5 in the match. 

Humbert miscalculated an Alcaraz return and it clipped the line, giving him a decisive break which allowed him to serve for the match and a place in the last eight. 

Sixteenth seed Humbert is a very solid player on grass and put up a valiant fight here against a player who Wimbledon's Artificial Intelligence (AI) win predictor had as heavy favourite. 

'I think playing lefty is always tricky, it doesn't matter the surface,' Alcaraz said. 

'I learned a bit (from Queen's). I feel great playing today, I think I played a really high level and playing a lefty I try not to think about it and play my own game.'

On his set point in the second set, which was a match highlight as he did the splits, he said: 'Unbelievable, I guess. I just tried to fight every ball, every point, it doesn't matter which part of the court I am, I just try to run and keep myself alive in the point.

'Set point is a really important point and I had to show the opponent it doesn't matter the shot he is going to shoot, I'm going to be there. That's me, fighting until the last ball.' 

Alcaraz is the first player in the men's singles to make it through to the quarter-finals and he now appears to be on a collision course with world No 1 Jannik Sinner in an eagerly-anticipated semi-final. 

More to follow.