Andy Murray leads fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas by two sets to one as their second-round clash on Centre Court was suspended shortly before the 11pm cut-off and will conclude on Friday.
On the eve of the anniversary of his first title at the All England Club, a terrific, battling display from the former British No 1 saw him recover from losing a first-set tie-break to claim the next two, winning a breaker in the second and then holding on to an early break in the third to win 6-4.
There was a late scare for the 36-year-old, who has been plagued by injury problems in recent years, as he tumbled to the ground during his final service game. But he quickly rose to his feet and won the next point to clinch the set.
Murray serving out for the set was to be the final action of the evening, disappointing a still near-full and vocal Centre Court crowd. The match will resume second on Centre Court on Friday, following world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz’s clash with Alexandre Muller – and not before 3pm.
There were boos when it was announced the match would be halted with 20 minutes still to go until the cut-off point but Murray was probably not too disappointed after his late slip, the Scot screaming in pain and clutching his left groin as he fell to the ground.
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Andy Dunn from The Mirror and Jonathan Liew from The Guardian discuss the confidence of Andy Murray heading into Wimbledon, after the Brit took a 2-1 lead against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round
Liam Broady’s five-set win over Casper Ruud earlier on Centre Court earlier in the day meant Murray’s match did not begin until after 7.30pm, the Scot hoping to emulate his fellow Brits by taking out a top-five seed.
Tsitsipas took the first set, taking a page out of Novak Djokovic’s book by playing a near flawless tie-break, beating Murray 7-2 to take a little air out of the Centre Court balloon.
In the second set Murray was hanging on as the Greek’s forehand really caught fire, the 24-year-old powering 11 clean winners off that side. But Murray avoided giving up any break points and got his reward, with Tsitsipas finally making a few mistakes to slip to 6-2 adrift in the breaker.
Murray used all his home advantage, lingering around the net and whipping up the crowd, and a huge roar greeted the next point.
At their only previous Grand Slam meeting, at the US Open in 2021, Murray said he had lost respect for his opponent over the length of his toilet breaks during a five-set loss for the Scot.
The rules have since changed but Tsitsipas, who had referred to the court as Murray’s living room, was booed on his return from an extended break to change his clothes after the second set.
Tsitsipas carried his disappointment into the third and Murray pounced immediately, creating his first break points of the match and breaking to love.
The Greek recovered his composure and forced two break points in the fourth game but Murray’s serve was now purring and he recovered on his way to clinching the set comfortably.
Murray’s late slip is a concern, but mercifully he was at least able to get to his feet and serve out the set before play was suspended.