There will be no chance for Andy Murray to avenge last summer's Wimbledon quarter-final defeat to Grigor Dimitrov on Friday - but through no fault of the Scot's.
Indeed, Murray continued his bid for what would be a record-equalling fourth title at Queen's Club by battling past Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-4 on Centre Court. It was his 11th win in 12 meetings against the Spaniard, but he was made to work hard for it, coming through in one hour and 32 minutes.
However, a potential mouth-watering last-eight tie against Dimitrov had already gone out of the window after the defending champion suffered a shock straight-sets defeat to world No.48 Gilles Muller earlier on Thursday.
Murray is certainly aware of Muller's qualities. At the end of his pre-match practice in the morning, Murray had come over to sign autographs for the fans watching on Court No.2, and was asked by one whom he had been hitting with. "Gilles Muller," came his response.
If the spectators here were unfamiliar with the 32-year-old from Luxembourg, then they will likely know his name now after his clinical display on Centre Court against Dimitrov.
Andy Murray put through his paces in practice - and after, by the autograph hunters... #andymurray... https://t.co/D8Kd1zCVC5
- Nick Atkin (@NickAtkinESPN) June 18, 2015
Muller is certainly playing some of his best tennis, having battled back from a potentially career-ending elbow injury in 2013 to reach his highest ever ranking. He even light-heartedly corrected one reporter that he was "32 years young" during his post-match press conference.
Murray and Muller are well-acquainted, having trained together in Barcelona during their youth. "He's very impressive," added Muller. "Back then I knew he was very talented, but seeing him now, you can see how hard he worked to get there.
"He's a good example for being in great shape. This has been helping him a lot to win very tough matches. His dedication and his passion for the game is really big, because there is not many guys that work as hard as him."
Another factor Murray will have to contend with on Friday is Muller's coach Jamie Delgado - whom the Scot knows very well from their time as Davis Cup team-mates - but he denied that dynamic would change his approach.
"I've spent quite a lot of time with Jamie and I watch a lot of Gilles' matches through that," said Murray. "I want him to do well. He's a very nice guy, quiet guy but good fun.
"Jamie is very knowledgeable about the game. He loves tennis. He's been on the tour himself for a long time. He's done a very good job with Gilles.
"It may be a bit different. Jamie has come to sit in my box and support me. It's more of that. I know Gilles very, very well, and I like him. We are not extremely close friends, but I get on well with him. I have played a number of guys like that on the tour, players that I have known since I was very young, and it doesn't change anything for me."
"For sure they are good friends," added Muller. "Can he help? At the end of the day, I'm the one standing on the court. Obviously he can give me some tips, but everyone knows Andy is a great player.
"He's been playing really well, especially this year, he's back on where he was when he was winning grand slams."
If Murray takes the title on Sunday, he will join John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt at the top of the tournament leaderboard. But first, he must navigate his way past a couple of old friends.