Nadal surges toward No. 1; Murray passes serious test
LONDON — Rafael Nadal is on his way to the fourth round at Wimbledon, putting him in position to take over as the No. 1 player in the world.
Nadal beat Karen Khachanov 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Friday on Centre Court. If he reaches the final at the All England Club, the two-time Wimbledon champion will take over from Andy Murray as the topranked player in the world.
“First set and a half, I think, was very, very well. Very happy (with) the way that I played,” Nadal said in a television interview after walking off court. “Then it was a little bit tougher. I think I stopped a little bit with the legs and he started to hit stronger, but he’s still a tough opponent and it’s impossible to win easy.”
Defending champion Murray also had a tough opponent, but he came through a difficult fourth set to beat Fabio Fognini 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5.
Fognini led 5-2 in the fourth set and had five set points, but Murray won the final five games to reach the fourth round.
“When you’re playing a guy who has all the shots like him, it’s difficult,” Murray said. “He generates power with very short swings. It’s difficult to see when he’s going to hit the ball big and he was taking me out of my rhythm.”
Murray’s set loss was the first this week by the Big 4: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Nadal and Murray.
Nadal was playing in front of several sports stars seated in the Royal Box, including David Beckham. Sergio Garcia, the Spanish golfer who was wearing his green Masters jacket, was also there.
“He’s having an amazing season, especially with that victory, amazing victory in the Masters,” Nadal said. “So, just great to see him and thanks for coming.”
Nadal is having a pretty good season, too. He reached the Australian Open final, losing to Roger Federer, and won the French Open.
Ninth-seeded Kei Nishikori was ousted by Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-3.
“I couldn’t maintain my level high enough,” Nishikori said. “He served well every set. Was really tough time (on) my return game.”
In the women’s draw, Victoria Azarenka extended her Grand Slam comeback.
The former No. 1, who gave birth to her first child in December, advanced to the fourth round by beating Heather Watson 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Centre Court.
“This is the matches that you’re looking for,” Azarenka said, “try to find a way when not everything goes great.”
Venus Williams, a five-time Wimbledon champion, beat Naomi Osaka 7-6 (3), 6-4. Injury update: American Bethanie Mattek-Sands says she’s been through a “painful & emotional” 36 hours after injuring her right knee Thursday.
Mattek-Sands sent out a tweet Friday night to thank “the best family, friends and fans a girl could ask for.”
She was taken off on a stretcher in a second-round singles match. Neither she nor the WTA has said how badly she was injured.