After the raucous passion of 'People's Sunday' Tim Henman gave us a magical, if slightly manic Monday at Wimbledon.

The British number one took his place in the quarter-finals for the eighth time in nine years with a display of clinical ruthlessness blended with late-night drama to beat Australia's Mark Philippoussis 6-2 7-5 6-7 7-6.

The light was fading and the clock on the scoreboard beamed out 8.47pm when Henman finally clinched triumph on his fifth match point after Philippoussis pushed a return wide in the second tie-break which had taken on all the characteristics of a penalty shoot-out.

It just would not be the same at Wimbledon if Henman did not put his fans through the mill, but this was no nervy, fortunate victory.

Henman yesterday took his game to a higher level and the message was that at last, after a week without conviction, here was the sort of form which could end the wait for the first British men's singles Wimbledon champion for 68 years.

Henman's serve was so solid that Philippoussis did not win a single point on his first delivery for more than two sets.

His return of serve was so sharp that the big Aussie, who prevented Henman reaching the quarter-finals when he beat him in the fourth round in 2000, took almost an hour and a half to gain his first break point.

If sport is all about momentum then Henman could not have eased up a gear with more perfect timing.

Big cross-court forehands, deft backhand flicks and one full-length diving volley in the third set which was pure Boris Becker at his best and which the great former champion described as the ''shot of the tournament''.

And then the steel to repel a spirited fightback by the big-serving Philippoussis who was fired up by an encounter with the umpire when he turned the air a shade of Rusedski-blue over a disputed line call and received a warning for a stream of audible obscenities.

The fury stoked up his game and for an hour or so an air of tension hung over Centre Court as Philippoussis threatened to derail the Henman adventure.

But eventually, though Eastenders viewers had to wait as television schedules were rejigged to stay with tennis's soap of the day, Henman prevailed.

''It's tough to make sense of it,'' said Henman.

''It was such an intense match and the quality of play was so high. I got off to a great start and I just had to be patient.

''The fourth set was just an incredible atmosphere and I had to keep fighting and eventually I finished it off. I'm just relieved to get through and have a day off tomorrow.''

Next up for Henman is unseeded Croatian Mario Ancic, a 20-year-old talented disciple of Goran Ivanisevic, who went through courtesy of the retirement of Belgium's Xavier Malisse with the recurrence of a back injury.

And while Ancic can also be dangerous the door is now wide open for Henman to claim a fifth Wimbledon semi-final, likely to be against Andy Roddick.

The good news is that his game is nearing the required level for such an encounter.

Yesterday he could not have begun better, a delicate lob and a brilliant backhand pass breaking Philippoussis in the first game.

The Aussie serve, once one of the most formidable weapons in tennis and which earned him the nickname Scud, was dismantled again in the fifth game, though this time courtesy of successive double-faults from Philippoussis.

By contrast Henman was serving with more authority than at any time in this Championship, two aces in the eighth game and a stunning half-volley reminiscent of Roger Federer allowing him to run away with the first set in just 25 minutes.

And the most unusual thing of all? Philippoussis, a man who at his best serves aces as often as most people draw breath, went through that entire set without one.

He put that right in the first point of the second set, but Philippoussis was at last finding his rhythm and tempo, hanging on in the face of a commanding Henman performance.

The Aussie was helped by a poor call in the ninth game when a second serve, which appeared to be some three inches out on television replays, was called good.

In the past such injustice would have disrupted the Henman concentration.

As it happened Henman received a similarly bad call in his favour in the 11th game at an even more crucial time - Philippoussis allowing a ball float onto the baseline but wide, though it was called good by the lineswoman.

It gave Henman the vital break of serve and he served out to take a two sets lead.

Henman looked set for an early night but things rarely go entirely to plan with him and when Philippoussis received that warning for an audible obscenity when he protested vehemently with the umpire against a line call the Aussie was suddenly back in the match.

He raised his game in the subsequent tie-break and with the aid of a Henman double fault and a huge ace took it 7-3.

There are few players more dangerous than Philippoussis when he gets a hold in a match but he left it until he was 5-2 down in the fourth to show his best form.

He saved two match points in the next game, broke the Henman serve immediately with a rather slightly fortunate lob and suddenly with the light fading, the Aussie firing and a Mexican Wave circulating Centre Court the atmosphere took on the air of a penalty shoot-out.

And we all know what happens when Englishmen get involved in those.

But this Henman has a steelier edge and nerve and a serve to battle his way through that final tie-break, the eventual triumph coming with the bravest of second serves which Philippoussis could only push wide.

So the dream lives on and spare a thought for Henman's wife Lucy and parents up in the players' box who betrayed not a hint of emotion.

''Externally they might look cool but internally they aren't,'' said Henman.

''They are proud of me being out there but they'll just have to grin and bear it.''

Along with the rest of a proud and expectant nation