Jo’s not on song
JO-WILFRIED TSONGA saw his Wimbledon hopes ruined inside just five minutes yesterday.
The Frenchman, 32, trailed Sam Querrey 6-5 in the deciding set on Friday when fading light meant play was halted.
And when they returned to Court Two to complete the match, Tsonga instantly dropped serve to lose 6-2 3-6 7-6 1-6 7-5.
He volleyed into the net on deuce and sent a forehand into the tramlines on match point as Querrey, 29, secured the win a year after beating Novak Djokovic at the same stage.
With his disappointment obvious, Tsonga smashed a ball out of the court before shaking hands at the net with the American.
He said: “I’m frustrated because I lost and I stayed two minutes on court today.”
Querrey will now face South African Kevin Anderson in the last 16.
Okay, the champion’s body might have been hurting at the end of his Friday night thriller against Fabio Fognini – especially that troublesome hip.
And, yes, Murray knows there is plenty of room for improvement with regards to his level of performance as he bids for back-to-back SW19 titles – and a career hat-trick at his home Grand Slam.
Yet, with a rare weekend “off” before his last 16 showdown against Frenchman Benoit Paire (right) the world No.1 was in upbeat mood following his gripping roller coaster 6-2 4-6 6-1 7-5 victory over Italian 28th seed Fognini.
Rather than worry about those aches and pains, or the occasionally misfiring service and forehand, Murray instead chose to focus on the good points.
After all, he had just produced one of his famed, trademark back-to-the-wall recoveries to reach the fourth round for a staggering 10TH year on the bounce.
At 5-2 down in the fourth set, the Scot appeared destined for a nerve-shredding decider under the roof, only to suddenly turn on the afterburners – as only he can – and race through the next five games in blistering fashion.
Top seed Murray, who saved four set points in the process, was thrilled to have delivered such a sizzling finale when it mattered.
The British ace, 30, said: “I definitely played better at the end of the fourth set than I did for most of the match. Even the first set and the third set, it wasn’t like I played great.
“Fabio made mistakes at important moments. He was a bit up and down – like when he served three double faults at the end of the first set.
“That had nothing to do with my good play. But when I needed to, I got my game going.
“That’s a real positive and hopefully I will get better from here.
“Finishing strong like that definitely gives me a boost going into the weekend.”
If anybody reckoned Murray planned to take it easy and put the feet up for 48 hours, then perish the thought.
He barely knows the meaning of the word rest – particularly halfway through the Wimbledon fortnight.
Murray, whose wife Kim is expecting their second child at the end of the year, added that he planned to spend his time off with one-year-old daughter Sophia.
He said: “On Friday I only saw my