Defending champion Andy Murray moved one step closer to successfully defending his title after eliminating Kevin Anderson to advance to the Wimbledon 2014 quarterfinals.
Murray scored a hard-earned 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 straight-set win against the 20th seeded Anderson in the match that was played under the Centre Court roof.
Anderson pushed Murray to the limits and had several chances to win a set against his heavily-favored opponent, but Murray stood his ground although he admitted that playing indoors after the rain delay changed the complexion of the match.
"When it was outdoors I played very well and was in a good position, but when we came indoors he was striking the ball better and serving better and I was dropping shorter," Murray said in a BBC interview. "That meant there was a lot more running at the end because he was playing very well."
With the win, Murray, who is looking to become the first Briton to defend his Wimbledon title since Fred Perry did it in 1936, arranged a quarter-final showdown with Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated Leonardo Mayer in their third-round match on Monday 6-4, 7-6, 6-2.
Murray looks poise to win his second Wimbledon title, but the 27-year-old tennis ace knows that he needs to be at his best in his upcoming games to have at least a shot at winning the grand slam tournament again.
"All of the matches are tough," Murray said. "Everyone that's in the quarterfinals of Slams, they're playing top tennis. I just have to do what I've got to do and concentrate on my side of the court. If I play well, I'll make it tough for them."
Meanwhile, tournament top seed Novak Djokovic also progressed to the next round after dispatching Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.
Djokovic, who is looking to avenge his loss in last year's final, booked a quarter-final spot with a 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 win against Tsonga in their third-round showdown.
Djokovic will face Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals after the 26th-seeded Croat won against Jeremy Chardy of France, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4.
For complete schedule and order of play, you can visit the official Wimbledon 2014 website. Video highlights of past matches are available on this link.
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