Andy Murray leads fifth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas by two sets to one as their second-round clash on Centre Court was halted with 20 minutes still to go until the 11pm curfew and will conclude on Friday afternoon.
On the eve of the anniversary of his first title at the All England Club, a battling display from the former world No 1 saw the 36-year-old recover from losing the first-set to claim the next two, winning a crucial tie-break in the second before holding on to an early break in the third for a 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 overnight lead.
There was a late scare for the Scot, 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 third set.
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That 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 stopped 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.
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 two-time Grand Slam runner-up 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.
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