Federer, Murray Complete Top Dogs in R16 Saturday at Wimbledon
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Saturday was a crowd-pleaser at Wimbledon, where the line-up featured two former champs, a streaking Brit, and Rafael Nadal’s conqueror returning to the lawns.
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No. 2 seed Roger Federer and No. 3 Andy Murray highlighted play to move into the fourth round. The Swiss outdueled the huge-serving Aussie Sam Groth in four sets 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2, while the Brit beat No. 25 Andreas Seppi 6-2, 6-2, 1-6, 6-1.
Murray was seen clutching his shoulder and complaining during the match.
“The shoulder is fine,” said Murray. “You could probably see towards the end of the second set it was starting to tighten up and it cooled down as he took his injury timeout. I struggled a little bit in the second set but I was playing very aggressively at the end and finished the match as I want to go on.”
Groth, whose strength is not returning serve, won a set but never managed a break point on Federer’s serve.
“He [Groth] can stay in the match just by serving,” said Federer. “But the only thing I really had to change was my returning. The service games I can control myself: what to do on second serves, what to do on first serves.”
Other Top 10 winners were No. 6 Tomas Berdych coming from a set down to defeat Spain’s Pablo Andujar 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 7-6(3), and No. 9 Marin Cilic finishing his darkness-delayed match against No. 17 John Isner 12-10 in the fifth set.
Murray will next face the dangerous big-serving “Dr.” Ivo Karlovic, who on Saturday edged No. 13 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(9).
The final Brit hope exited Wimbledon also on Saturday when James Ward lost to Canadian Vasek Pospisil 6-4, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 8-6.
“We both went through different stages of playing well, serving well,” said Ward who led two sets to one. “His came at the right time. Towards the end of the match, it was difficult to break.”
Other winners were No. 20 Roberto Bautista Agut who will next meet Federer; No. 22 Viktor Troicki who beat Dustin Brown in four; and No. 12 Giles Simon who topped French countryman and No. 18 seed Gael Simon 6-2 in the fifth in a match completed under the roof at Wimbledon.
Check back Sunday for previews of Manic Monday at the All England Club where all remaining players will be in action.
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