Murray, Cilic, Vika, Konta all through

DEFENDING champion Andy Murray stormed into the Wimbledon third round with a ruthless 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 demolition of Dustin Brown yesterday while Marin Chilic survived a difficult start against German Florian Mayer for his place in the sun, battling to a 7-6(2) 6-4 7-5 victory.

New mum Victoria Azarenka continued her comeback bid for glory and Kei Nishikori and Johanna Konta ground out victories on a sweltering day at the All England Club.

Murray needed only 96 minutes to see off the dreadlocked German on Centre Court.

Next up for world number one Murray is a clash with colourful Italian 28th seed Fabio Fognini.

● Mayer, ranked 114th in the world and without a victory over a top-10 player in 12 grand slam matches, broke Cilic in the first game of the match.

However, Cilic broke back, and found his high-powered service game at the pivotal moment, hammering three aces to help edge the first-set tiebreak.

The 2014 US Open champion, who came into Wimbledon in good form, fired four big winners to break in the ninth game of the second set and in the third storming back to win five games in a row and clinch victory with a trademark ace.

The Croatian will next face American Steve Johnson or Moldovan Radu Albot.

● Former world number one Azarenka, playing her first Grand Slam tournament since giving birth to first child Leo in December, beat Russian 15th seed Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-3, taking her record over the Russian to 8-0 without dropping a set.

The Belarusian, 27, could become the first mother to win the Wimbledon singles since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980.

Azarenka next faces British wildcard Heather Watson. — AFP-Reuters