Murray turns up the heat on sizzling day
ANDY Murray comfortably overcame everything the unorthodox Dustin Brown served up yesterday as the defending champion breezed into the third round at Wimbledon, where players battled sizzling temperatures.
Venus Williams, Kei Nishikori and Johanna Konta ground out victories to make the last 32, while new mom Victoria Azarenka continued her comeback bid for grand slam glory.
Two-time champion Rafael Nadal reached the third round with a 6-4 6-2 7-5 win over Donald Young.
Brown, the dreadlocked German with Jamaican roots, knocked out Rafael Nadal in the second round two years ago at the All England Club.
However, world No 1 Murray was not caught out by his extrovert drop shots, racing to a ruthless 6-3 6-2 6-2 victory on Centre Court.
US five-time champion Williams survived a scare against Chinese rising star Wang Qiang, eventually winning 4-6 6-4 6-1.
Former world No 1 Azarenka, playing her first grand slam tournament since giving birth to first child Leo in December, knocked out Russian 15th seed Elena Vesnina 6-3 6-3.
The 2012 and 2013 Australian Open champion, 27, could become the first mother to win the Wimbledon singles since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1980.
British sixth seed Konta reached the Wimbledon third round for the first time with a marathon 7-6 (8/6) 4-6 10-8 win over Donna Vekic, which left her opponent in tears.
Konta and Watson’s victories made it the first time that two British women have reached the last 32 at their home grand slam since Jo Durie and Anne Hobbs in 1986.
Nishikori dug deep to keep his Wimbledon hopes alive as the Japanese ninth seed ground out a 6-4 6-7 (7/9) 6-1 7-6 (8/6) win over Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky.
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was knocked out in the second round by 95th-ranked American Madison Brengle.
Brengle triumphed 6-3 1-6 6-2 to defeat the Czech, who won at the All England Club in 2011 and 2014.
Kvitova was playing only her third event of the year after recovering from a knife attack at her home in December.
France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the 12th seed, made short work of Italian qualifier Simone Bolelli in the sizzling heat.
Querrey and fellow seeds Marin Cilic, Gilles Muller, Steve Johnson and Karen Khachanov made it through. However, Lucas Pouille was knocked out by Jerzy Janowicz, a 2013 semifinalist.
Russia’s temperamental Daniil Medvedev crashed out to Belgian qualifier Ruben Bemelmans.
Medvedev threw coins at the umpire’s chair before apologising for the bizarre gesture, which he insisted was not meant to imply the official was corrupt.
South Africa’s Kevin Anderson beat Italy’s Andreas Seppi 6-3 7-6(4) 6-3.