Murray defeats Seppi to enter fourth round at SW19

Andy Murray has reached the fourth round of Wimbledon after he overcame a third set wobble to beat Andreas Seppi 6-2 6-2 1-6 6-1.

After cruising through the first two sets, the Brit lost his concentration following a medical timeout by the Italian, but responded brilliantly to win the match in four sets.

In the first set, Murray made the perfect start as he broke Seppi in the first game, and the Brit immediately settled into a comfortable rhythm. The Italian was very much second best, as the rallies extended, and found Murray’s variety simply too much. The Brit was hardly troubled on serve, and another break of serve was enough for the former champion to seal the set 6-2.

Unfortunately for Seppi, he did not make a better start to the second set either as Murray quickly pounced onto a poor dropshot from the Italian to gain the early break once again. The world number three maintained his baseline superiority, and a series of immaculate backhand return winners from the Scot forced Seppi to concede the double break with a double fault. Despite losing his concentration momentarily to present Seppi with breaks points, Murray held firm to emphatically secure a two set lead with an ace.

However, the third set saw an improvement from the Italian, as he held his serve early on to avoid an early deficit. A medical timeout for Seppi appeared to distract Murray, and the momentum of the match completely switched. A double fault from the Brit sealed the break of serve for Seppi, as the Italian was in the ascendancy for the first time. The double break soon followed as Murray netted a slice, and Seppi eventually closed out the set 6-1 to extend the match to a fourth set.

In the fourth set, Seppi continued to unsettle Murray, and the Italian fired a forehand winner to extend the remarkable run of games won by him. Murray then needed the trainer for a shoulder problem to add to the unfolding drama, but the Brit quickly regained his focus to immediately break his opponent back.

An erratic display from the Italian was punished by the former champion at 2-1, and a netted backhand ensured Murray would gain the upper hand once again. The Brit held on to stretch his lead, and produced yet another break of serve when Seppi failed to return a perfect approach shot. The incredible turnaround was completed, as the former champion wrapped up the match in style with a booming ace to progress into the fourth round.

In the other matches, Roger Federer and Tomas Berdych secured four set wins, whilst Dustin Brown was unable to follow up his sensational triumph over Rafael Nadal, as the German went down 6-4 7-6 4-6 6-3 to Viktor Troicki. The Serbian will face Vasek Pospisil next after the Canadian took out the home hopeful James Ward 6-4 3-6 2-6 6-3 8-6.

In addition, Jo Wilfried Tsonga suffered defeat in four sets at the hands of Ivo Karlovic, and Marin Cilic edged John Isner 7-6 6-7 6-4 6-7 12-10.

On the women’s side, the defending champion Petra Kvitova crashed out of SW19 to Jelena Jankovic in three sets, as Sabine Lisicki and Angelique Kerber were also upset in the third round.