(Tennis news) In a thrilling Wimbledon second-round encounter on Friday, Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Andy Murray with a score of 7-6(3) 6-7(2) 4-6 7-6(3) 6-4 to silence a partisan Centre Court crowd.

Before Wimbledon’s curfew stopped play in the middle of the match on Thursday night, the 24-year-old Greek was down two sets to one to Murray but after 5 sets he edged and won the game against two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray. 

The fifth seed Tsitsipas displayed remarkable poise to win a tense fourth set on a tiebreak after both players had been rock solid on serve, as they had been throughout the match, as play resumed in the bright sunshine on Friday.

The 36-year-old Andy Murray, who underwent hip resurfacing surgery in 2019, has not advanced past the fourth round at a Grand Slam since 2017. He first showed signs of fatigue in the fifth game.

When his racquet started making errors, Tsitsipas recognised his opportunity and broke Murray’s serve in the third game for the first time in the match. Murray persevered to put Tsitsipas to the test despite the Greek pulling ahead 5-3.

Two match points went unutilized, but an ace ruined Murray’s fantasy on the third attempt. Tsitsipas, who also took five sets to defeat Austrian Dominic Thiem in a match marred by rain in the first round, will take on Serbia’s 60th-ranked Laslo Djere next as he looks to make a long run after only making it to the last 16 once all of last year.

“It’s never easy against Andy. Everyone loves him here. It was a very difficult game and I’m impressed how well he holds up after his hip surgeries and his level today,” Tsitsipas said.

“It was nerve-racking. It was an obstacle and it’s extra difficult when you’ve grown up watching him play on this court.” Tsitsipas added.
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