Lopez celebrates beating Safin (Getty).

Feliciano Lopez dumped fifth seed Marat Safin out of Wimbledon on Friday with a ruthless performance on Court One.

Despite claiming he "hated" grass after his first round exit last year, Safin's superb form in the early stages saw him tipped as an outside bet for the title.

The Australian Open champion had not lost a set in the first two rounds but had no answer to an inspired Lopez who ran out a 6-4 7-6 6-3 winner in just one hour 48 minutes.

Number two seed Andy Roddick survived an almighty scare before coming through his second-round clash with Daniele Bracciali in five tough sets.

The match was held over from Thursday evening and resumed with Roddick leading two sets to one.

Bracciali, a 'lucky loser' from the qualifying competition, took the fourth set as well to force a decider but Roddick regained his composure to seal a 7-5 6-3 6-7 4-6 6-3 victory.

Elsewhere former champion Lleyton Hewitt was made to work unexpectedly hard by unseeded American Justin Gimelstob before reaching the fourth round for the fourth time in six years.

The 24-year-old Australian, the third seed, won in straight sets, 7-6 6-4 7-5, but he was pushed all the way by his serve-and-volley opponent in a third-round match that lasted two hours and 31 minutes.

The 2002 champion now plays another big-serving American, Taylor Dent, who beat Tomas Berdych, of the Czech Republic, 6-3 7-6 6-3.

In Friday's other men's third-round match the 21st seed - Fernando Gonzalez of Chile - beat Greg Rusedski's conqueror Joachim Johansson (seeded 11) in straight sets.

In the women's singles Russian number nine seed Anastasia Myskina made heavy weather of securing her place in the last 16, coming through an epic near three-hour battle with Jelena Jankovic.

The 2004 French Open champion had sailed through the first set 6-0, but then lost concentration as the 17th-seeded Serbia and Montenegro player rallied.

Myskina blew three match points at 5-4 in the second set, before wobbling alarmingly and losing the set 7-5.

Jankovic then incredibly went 5-1 up in the decider, only to choke down the stretch.

Myskina eventually closed out a thriller 10-8 as gloom descended.

Earlier the threat of an enormous downpour looked the biggest danger to French number three seed Amelie Mauresmo as she advanced into the fourth round with victory over American outsider Shenay Perry.

Under blackening skies on remote Court 13 she posted a 6-0 6-2 victory in two minutes short of an hour despite more stubborn resistance than the scoreline suggests.

Elsewhere sixth seed Elena Dementieva booked her place in the last 16 with a 7-5 6-1 victory over American Mashona Washington.

The Russian, 23, had reached the fourth round at the All England Club in 2002 and 2003, but crashed out at the first hurdle last year.

Despite finding it difficult to control her serve in the blustery conditions on Court Two, the world number four eventually settled into a rhythm, and just had too many combinations for Washington, a quarter-finalist at both Eastbourne and in Birmingham earlier this summer.

Number five seed Svetlana Kuznetsova was forced to scrap before prevailing against Nicole Vaidisova.

The Russian, who is reigning US Open champion, looked in control after shading a tight first set.

However she wobbled in the second before eventually prevailing 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 against the Czech.

In Friday's other women's third-round matches 13th seed Elena Likhovtseva beat 22nd seed Silvia Farina Elia in three sets, while Magdalena Maleeva crushed Antonella Serra-Zanetti.