LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Andy Murray was within touching distance of the Wimbledon third round when he opened up a two sets-to-one lead over world No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas while Stan Wawrinka set up a tasty clash with Novak Djokovic.
British two-time champion Murray lost the first set of a high-class contest but roared back to lead 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 when the Center Court duel was halted just before the All England Club curfew of 11 p.m.
The suspension came at the right moment for the 36-year-old as he fell and hurt his left groin, leaving him screaming in pain.
He, however, picked himself up to serve out the third set and will be in the ascendancy when the match resumes on Friday.
In the biggest shock of the tournament so far, fourth seed Casper Ruud crashed out at the hands of British wild card Liam Broady in five sets.
Defending women’s champion Elena Rybakina reached the Last 32 with a 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) win against French veteran Alize Cornet despite an error-strewn display.
On a day when the rain stayed away from the All England Club, all eyes were on Center Court for the late clash between Murray and Tsitsipas, played under the roof.
Murray won the 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon titles but it was the first time the Greek had played on Center Court.
Britain’s former world No. 1, who plays with a metal hip, is rolling back the years as he seeks to reach the second week of a major for the first time since 2017.
