Wimbledon, Day 4, Highlights: Andy Murray’s dramatic surge and Rafael Nadal’s streak

Andy Murray’s brilliant comeback win against Fabio Fognini was the highlight on the fifth day at Wimbledon. The world No 1 stayed in the hunt for the title while Rafael Nadal also progressed to the fourth round for the only second time in the last five years.

Murray survives a scare

Andy Murray survived a scare at Wimbledon on Friday but eventually overcame volatile Italian Fabio Fognini in four sets with a dramatic surge to dig himself out of trouble.

The British defending champion triumphed 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 on Centre Court, winning five consecutive games in the fourth set and saving five set points to book himself a spot in the fourth round.

The world No 1 faces France’s unseeded Benoit Paire on Monday for a place in the quarter-finals.

“I served it out really well to finish. But it was a very up and down match. I didn’t feel like it was the best tennis at times. It was a little bit tense but I managed to get through,” Murray said.

Nadal into the last 16

Nadal slugged his way into the Wimbledon last 16 with a bruising dismissal of Russian 30th seed Karen Khachanov on Friday.

Nadal’s 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (3) win against Khachanov on Centre Court equalled the Spaniard’s personal record of 28 successive sets won at Grand Slams, a blistering streak dating back to this year’s Australian Open final.

World No 2 Nadal is in formidable form heading into only his second fourth-round appearance in his last five visits to Wimbledon.

He will face 16th seed Gilles Muller for a place in the quarter-finals.

“I played fantastic for a set and a half but it got tougher after that. He started to hit stronger so I was happy to get through in three sets,” said Nadal, the champion in 2008 and 2010.

Azarenka breaks through

Former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka fought back to reach the last 16 at Wimbledon with a gritty 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over British wild card Heather Watson on Friday.

Competing in her first Grand Slam since taking a year off to have her first child in December, Azarenka is bidding to become the first mother to win Wimbledon in 37 years.

In just her second tournament following son Leo’s birth, the 27-year-old Belarusian had to dig deep to beat battling home favourite Watson on Centre Court.

Nishikori suffers new Wimbledon woe

Kei Nishikori admitted Friday that he’s just not a very good grass-court player after suffering a seventh first-week exit in nine visits to Wimbledon.

The 27-year-old world No 9 slumped to a 6-4, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-3 loss to Spanish 18th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who booked a place in the last 16 for the second time.

For Nishikori, his sour relationship with grass goes on leaving him with just two runs to the last 16 in his career, confirming Wimbledon as his worst Slam.

“It’s not easy. I don’t have good results on grass. I have got to work on it every year,” said Nishikori, who has reached at least the quarter-finals of the other three majors

Mattek-Sands undergoes more tests after horror injury

Bethanie Mattek-Sands was undergoing more tests on her right knee on Friday following her sickening injury at Wimbledon which left her screaming: “Please, help me, please, please”.

The 32-year-old American was being treated in a nearby private hospital where she was taken on Thursday after her knee appeared to buckle as she approached the net in her second round clash with Sorana Cirstea on Court 17.

“Bethanie is currently undergoing more scans this morning and we should know more within the next few hours,” said the WTA Tour in a statement.

“Bethanie of course thanks everyone for their kind wishes and messages of support.”

On the sidelines

• Victoria Azarenka said she chose the name Leo for her son because she didn’t want him saddled with a name that could be ridiculed. “I thought it’s just a simple name but very strong. I also know kids like to make funny names with normal names, so it’s hard to make anything up with Leo, so I was protecting my son there. And also, I’m a Leo as a horoscope, so that’s the closest resemblance.”
• Elina Svitolina will face French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko for a quarter-final spot but will be referring to her as Alona. “The names translate differently in Latvian. Everybody calls her Alona, like Russian-speaking people,” said Svitolina.
• Austrian world No 217 Sebastian Ofner stunned 18th seed and US No 1 Jack Sock in five sets to make the third round on his Grand Slam debut. The 21-year-old qualifier came into Wimbledon having made just $16,000 all year but is already guaranteed at least $116,000 by making the last-32. Ofner is also making a name for himself on Twitter where his immaculately groomed and slicked hair has won praise for its steadfastness. 

• All England Club commercial director Mick Desmond told AFP that there are no plans to have advertising hoardings or sponsorship logos plastered around the courts. “The clean look and a sense of an English garden is very much the DNA. It’s been like that for many years. We cherish the traditional the heritage,” said Desmond. “What we don’t need to do is to put big badges and banners all around the place because it would take away what Wimbledon is. People know who our partners are. You don’t have to hammer people over the head by putting logos everywhere.”   

Quotable quotes:

“He’s a great guy. I don’t have any problems sitting next to him. We chat. I mean, I would say he’s one of the nicest guys on tour.”

– Aljaz Bedene on sharing a dinner table with Gilles Muller on Thursday night. On Friday, Muller knocked him out of Wimbledon.

“Everytime he rings, he says ‘hi Spartan’ and when I go out to play he tells me to ‘be a Spartan’.”

– Greece’s Maria Sakkari on the advice she receives from British coach Mark Petchey. Sakkari’s father is, not surprisingly, from... Sparta.

“I’ll maybe give him a mean, angry look before the match.”

– Germany’s Mischa Zverev on what he can do to unsettle Roger Federer when they meet in the third round.

“I am home sooner than I wanted to be, but you know what? I reached my goal, to play tennis again, to play tennis at Wimbledon and to compete in the sport I love. The last six months were difficult but now I can push restart. This is only the beginning of my new journey and I will come back stronger. See you next year, my dear Wimbledon.”

– Two-time champion Petra Kvitova tweeting having reached home in the Czech Republic after her second round exit. Kvitova was playing just her third tournament since fighting off a knife attacker at her home in December.

“I never look at the draw. I never know who I’m playing. So next round I know I’m playing Kontaveit. That’s the only thing I know. I don’t really look forward.”

– Caroline Wozniacki on looking ahead, or not

Numbers up

2/11 – break point conversion rate for Kei Nishikori in his defeat to Roberto Bautista Agut

50 – number of Grand Slam match wins that South Africa’s Kevin Anderson he achieved when he faced Belgian qualifier Rubens Bemelmans.

63 – winners hit by Benoit Paire as he made the last-16 for the first time with a straight sets win over Jerzy Janowicz.