Murray through to Wimbledon quarter-finals

“My racket went like this, and then it hit like here, and then boom, boom”, Karlovic said at his post-match news conference, holding out his right arm to demonstrate.

The main problem for Murray will be the huge serving of Karlovic and the latter smashed 41 aces in the previous match while 136 have been recorded across the first three contests. Amelie Mauresmo looks hot but otherwise unperturbed. The big man is digging deep to hit a fabulous backhand returning Murray’s groundstroke. The Croat led 4-3 after an ace and a forehand error by Murray.

“Although it was 6-3 6-4 in the final against Anderson at Queen’s, probably 6-2 6-2 would have been a better reflection on how dominant that performance was”. Break.

Karlovic was hardly an unknown quantity for Murray.

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Murray’s joined in the third round by British wild card James Ward, who beat Czech Jiri Vesely 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) 3-6, 6-3.

The pair had also met five times previously with Murray winning every one, which included a skirmish at Wimbledon three years ago.

If there is a weakness in the Karlovic serve, it may be in the launching of those extraordinary rockets. “Ivo is going to be coming to the net a lot”, said Murray. The very masonry of Centre Court appeared to quiver. “It’s good against all guys that get close to the net”. But that service is just too tough to handle. So far, Murray has given us no reason to worry, as he looks comfortable out there and is in good form.

Murray contained Anderson’s thunderbolt serve for a record-equalling fourth title at the Aegon Championships on June 21. “Obviously, when you do take a break, it does stiffen up”. What hard work for both men.

Simon, 30, will take on either seven-time champion Roger Federer or Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut for a spot in the semifinals. Wawrinka trailed by a break in the third set before breaking the Belgian back to clinch the set in the 10th game, on Goffin’s serve. Tie-break! Can he break Karlovic in this next game?

“And I think that’s absolutely spot-on for Andy on the mental side of things, to get out there and have fun, and to really the process of what he’s working on and the way that he plays”. Karlovic won’t concede his serve. This time the Frenchman was content to be the Bjorn Borg to Kyrgios’s John McEnroe, losing his ice-cool demeanour only briefly when he smashed a racket after losing the third set tie-break. “I felt like I passed well, when he missed his first serve I returned the second serve well”.

Two missed break points at the end of the second at least hinted at a Seppi revival and there was a sudden swing in momentum at the start of the third, which coincided with the Italian calling a medical time-out. He takes a seat and has a little chatter at himself.

And if more proof was needed of the problem Karlovic posed, it was the nature of his wins.

– – Ivo Karlovic ducks to go through the door, and the players are out on Centre to much acclaim.