Late-night Murray sees off Baghdatis in four gruelling sets to seal last 16 encounter with Cilic
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UPDATED:
22:16 GMT, 30 June 2012
Wimbledon extended their curfew for Andy Murray and the British No 1 took advantage to book his place in the fourth round.
Murray was not at his best as he wrapped up a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Marcos Baghdatis, in the latest finish known at Wimbledon.
Victory was tied up at 11.02pm, exceeding the previous record of 10.58pm set by Novak Djokovic and Olivier Rochus two years ago. The official curfew is 11pm, which is the time the final game began.
Relief: Andy Murray hails a hard-fought victory under the Centre Court roof
It was after 7pm when the players walked onto Centre Court following lengthy matches involving Serena Williams and David Ferrer.
Murray has been deemed to be the main
beneficiary of Rafael Nadal's shock loss two days ago but his path to
the final is hardly looking smooth.
The latest hurdle was posed by
Baghdatis, a semi-finalist here six years ago. The Cypriot was a danger
and only in the late stages was he dominated by Murray.
Mutual respect: Murray embraces Marcos Baghdatis
Of added intrigue to the contest was
the factor that Murray's former coach Miles Maclagan now works with
Baghdatis, and the underdog began well.
Murray was playing within himself in tricky breezy conditions, and he often found himself on the back foot in rallies.
The Scot took a tumble in the seventh
game and seemed to be feeling his right shoulder, and he had more
problems when Baghdatis brought up two break points.
Safe passage: Andy Murray sealed his place in the last 16 after a hard-fought win over Marcos Baghdatis
But Murray saved both, one with the
coolest of drop shots and the second with a running forehand pass that
was initially called out but HawkEye showed to be in.
Murray's chance arrived in the 11th game, and he took his second break point when Baghdatis pushed a forehand wide.
The Scot then served out a cagey set with an ace after exactly one hour.
The pair had shared their six previous
meetings but Murray had won three of the last four, including both
since Baghdatis began working with Maclagan.
Slipping: Murray fell throughout the evening's play
Murray moved ahead in the second set with a break in the third game, taking his third chance when Baghdatis netted a volley.
Murray was trying to lure his opponent
into mistakes in long, tactical rallies, and for the most part it was
working, but, not helped by another fall, he was broken straight back,
serving a double fault on break point.
The Scot looked set to make it three
breaks in a row but six times Baghdatis saved break point, the
flamboyant Cypriot revelling in the crowd's appreciation of the
cat-and-mouse exchanges.
It was Baghdatis with the momentum,
and he made it three games in a row with a forehand down the line that
was too hot for Murray to handle.
Tough ask: Marcos Baghdatis proved a resilient opponent
Tough ask: Marcos Baghdatis proved a resilient opponent
The Scot was slipping and sliding and
clearly not happy, and, with the light fading, it was Baghdatis who
served out the set 6-3 to level the match.
The players were then called off court
at the end of the set, at 9.04pm to allow time for the roof to be
closed, with the match to continue under lights.
Play resumed at 9.40pm.
Murray had strapping on his left knee, presumably as a result of one of his numerous falls.
But the Scot came out with a positive attitude and began the third set by serving three aces in the first game.
Tough to watch: Murray's coach Ivan Lendl observes from the sidelines
The indoor conditions had changed the
match and Murray was hitting with much greater freedom. He brought up
two break points in the fourth game, celebrating with a fist pump to the
delight of the noisy crowd, but he could not take either.
Baghdatis, who took a set off Novak
Djokovic at the same stage last year, took heart and promptly brought up
three break points of his own, and, unlike his opponent, he took one,
powering a winner onto the line.
The Cypriot had hit a real purple
patch, but Murray dug deep to hold his serve and then, despite yet
another fall, broke back when Baghdatis netted a rather tame forehand.
The tension was extremely high, and it
ramped up even more when Murray faced another break point after being
penalised for a ball popping out of his pocket for the third time in the
match.
But his serve saved him, the Scot
letting out a great roar and then an even bigger one when he finally
nailed a backhand pass down the line to clinch the set 7-5.
Baghdatis folded wretchedly in the
fourth set, which began at 10.36pm, and the winning moment came when he
lobbed a forehand well over the baseline.
