TENNIS WIMBLEDON 2014 – Defending champion Andy Murray got through to the quarter final at Wimbledon for the seventh consecutive year by beating Kevin Anderson in three sets with 6-4 6-3 7-6(6) under the Centre Court roof on a day disrupted by rain. Murray will take on 2014 Queen’s champion Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter final. Murray has not dropped a single set so far in the whole tournament. Diego Sampaolo
Results, Order of Play, Draws and Interviews from The Championships
Murray got the first break of the match in the third game of the opening set to go up 2-1 and held serve in the next game. Anderson held serve in the fifth game for 3-2. Murray held serve in his next service games to pull away 5-3. Anderson clawed his way back to 4-5 but Murray won the next game to clinch the first set with 6-4 after 43 minutes
Anderson saved six break points but Murray finally managed to convert his seventh break point opportunity in the first game of the second set when Anderson hit a volley wide. Murray consolidated the break by holding serve in the second game.
Murray got a double break to cruise to 3-0 before the match was interrupted by rain. After the match resumed half an hour later Anderson posed a more serious threat to Murray and managed to reclaim one of the two breaks before earning a point to draw level to 3-3. Murray was put under threat but got his fourth break of the match before clinching the second set with 6-3.
Murray did not convert five break point chances at 4-3 in the third set which came down to the tie-break where the Scotsman had to fend off a set point with a big serve before clinching the win with 8-6 with a backhand into the corner after two hours and 32 minutes.
With this win he has improved his winning streak at Wimbledon to 17 consecutive matches since the 2012 final where he lost against Roger Federer.
Murray hit 11 aces and committed 2 double faults. He won 81 % of his first serve points. He hit 49 winners to 12 unforced errors but he converted just four of his 19 break point chances.
Anderson hit nine aces and won 64% of his first serve points. He hit 41 winners and committed 20 unforced errors. He converted one of his three break points.
“When it was outdoors, I played very well and was in good position, but when we came indoors he was striking the ball better and serving better and I was dropping shorter. That meant that there was a lot more running at the end and I got more tentative because he was playing very well. It was good win. He made it tough”, said Murray.
Murray set up a quarter final against Grigor Dimitrov who beat Leandro Mayer in three sets with 6-4 7-6(6) 6-2. The match was interrupted by rain when Dimitrov was leading 6-5 in the second set. The Bulgarian player converted three of his five break points and hit 34 winners and 10 aces. He has won his eight consecutive match. This winning streak includes his win at the Queen’s where he defeated Feliciano Lopez in the final.
Dimitrov has reached his second Grand Slam quarter final of the season after the Australian Open last January.
Murray could meet Novak Djokovic in a potential semifinal. Djokovic beat Jo Wilfred Tsonga in the quarter final. If Murray and Djokovic meet in the semifinal, it could be a re-match of last year’s final where the Scotsman became the first Briton to win at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936.
