LONDON, (Reuters) – For the second time in three days British hero Andy Murray left a late-night Centre Court crowd spellbound as he battled past German qualifier Oscar Otte to win a five-set epic and reach the third round.
The 34-year-old who plays with a metal hip after surgery in 2019 looked to be in big trouble against the world number 151 but after a break while the roof slid closed in the fourth set he returned inspired to win 6-3 4-6 4-6 6-4 6-2. Otte played a full part in a mesmerising match in which every Murray winner in the closing stages produced deafening roars from the 7,500-crowd.
Murray, who also put his fans through the wringer against Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili on Monday night, ended the contest with successive topspin lobs before embracing his valiant German opponent at the net.
The two-time champion, who had played only five Tour-level matches this year before Wimbledon, will now play Canadian youngster Denis Shapovalov in the third round on Friday.
It was a fair bit quieter earlier in the day as top seed Novak Djokovic dispatched Kevin Anderson in clinical fashion, winning 6-3 6-3 6-3 to reach the third round.
Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios reached the second round as he returned to beat Frenchman Ugo Humbert 9-7 in the fifth set in a match that began the night before.
It was a good day for the men’s seeds with Matteo Berrettini (7) and Felix Auger-Aliassime (16) winning delayed first-round matches and Andrey Rublev (5) reaching round three.
But the women’s fourth and fifth seeds both lost.
Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, was dispatched by fellow American Madison Brengle in the second round while Canadian Bianca Andreescu, the former U.S. Open champion, is still looking for her first Wimbledon match win after losing easily to Alize Cornet.
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka dug deep to beat Britain’s 219th-ranked Katie Boulter after dropping the first set.
