Holder and top seed Novak Djokovic suffered an almighty scare against South African giant Kevin Anderson before bad light halted play with the score tied at two sets all in their fourth round match at Wimbledon on Monday.
The world number one lost the first two sets 7-6(8), 7-6(8) on tiebreaks before roaring back to win the next two 6-1, 6-4 and remain on course for a 25th successive grand slam quarter-final.
No respecter of reputations, 14th seed Anderson out-ran and out-reached the shaken Serb over the first two hours to send shudders of anticipation around Court One as a shock upset loomed.
They were the first sets the champion had dropped in this year's tournament and Djokovic looked uncomfortable against his opponent's booming 130mph deliveries and barely slower second serves.
With his back to the wall and staring at the earliest exit by a top seed in 14 years, the Serb then found a sudden burst of energy to raise his game and take the third set in a rattling 24 minutes.
He carried the momentum over into the fourth, racing against the fading of the light, and broke Anderson in the third game before serving out 6-4 as the clock passed the three hours mark.
Boos and shouts from the crowd of "play some more" greeted the umpire's decision to suspend the match until Tuesday as the players packed up to leave the court.
Roger Federer's pursuit of an 18th grand slam title gathered momentum at Wimbledon on Monday as the Swiss reached his 45th major quarter-final with a serene 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.
Breaking Federer's serve at this year's championships is turning into mission impossible as Bautista Agut became the fourth man to try and fail.
The world number two has now held strong for eight straight matches, stretching over 106 successive service games -- with Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber the last man to get a look in during last month's first round match at the Halle Open.
A netted backhand by Bautista Agut on his own serve completed the most straightforward of wins and earned Federer a quarter-final date with French 12th seed Gilles Simon.