Seeing doubles! Kim and Kate cheer Andy into final four
ANDY Murray eased into the semifinals of Wimbledon yesterday, cheered on by the two Ks – wife Kim and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge. The resemblance between the two women was clear as both pulled a series of similar expressions while watching the British number one make light work of Canadian Vasek Pospisil.
Kate, 33, who was joined in the Royal Box by Prince William, wore a £250 calf-length red dress from LK Bennett and carried an animal print clutch bag.
Meanwhile Kim, 27, was in the players’ box in blue jeans, white blouse and a £245 Le Marais tuxedo by fashion brand The Fold.
The match on Centre Court started under grey skies and the inevitable light rain which followed stopped play for a short time in the first set before the roof was closed part way through the second.
Pospisil, 25, unseeded in the tournament, played above his lowly world ranking of 56 but Murray – on a quest to win his second Wimbledon title – overcame the two rain interruptions.
‘It’s great they were able to come’
He won in a little over two hours, roared on by a crowd which also included David Beckham, rower Sir Matthew Pinsent, marathon runner Paula Radcliffe and adventurer Bear Grylls, setting up a mouth-watering semifinal against seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer tomorrow.
Murray, 28, said he had seen the royal couple after the match and ‘had a little chat’ but did not disclose what they spoke about.
He added: ‘I know Roger [Federer] very well, we walked to the practice courts together this morning. Friday is a different story and hopefully we can have a great match.’
Asked if he enjoyed playing in front of royalty, Murray joked: ‘He [Beckham] wasn’t a royal, was he?’, before adding: ‘There’s been great support and it’s great they were able to come today.
‘Beckham, obviously, is an icon in British sport and achieved so much. I’d love them to come and watch (again). It draws interest to our sport.’
Kate and William, who christened their daughter Princess Charlotte on Sunday, left her at home with Prince George to enjoy a day out SW19. Lines around Kate’s eyes suggested a few interrupted nights with her new baby.
During breaks in play the duchess, a keen tennis player, chatted to Phillip Brook, chairman of the All England Club, while her husband, in a smart blue suit, spent time speaking to his aunt, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, who wore a beige and white dress.
The royal couple, who wore matching Ray Ban sunglasses, had received a loud round of applause from Centre Court spectators when they entered the ground and took their seats. Murray’s wife Kim sat along from her mother-in-law Judy, 55, and Murray’s pregnant French coach Amelie Mauresmo.
Beckham, 40, had taken along second son Romeo, 12. Both wore smart blue suits and open-necked white shirts. Before the match, Beckham posed for photographs with other spectators and hugged Murray’s mother Judy as she took her seat in front of them, before Romeo shook her hand.
Before the match Murray said he hoped to take advantage of his opponent’s fatigue. The 25-year-old Canadian, who had entered both the singles and doubles in the championship, played two five- set matches on Monday, beating Viktor Troicki before later losing to Murray’s brother Jamie and John Peers in the doubles.
It meant that he had played 11- and- a- half hours of tennis before he even stepped on to Centre Court yesterday.
Murray stayed on court for several minutes after the match signing autographs for fans, while Kate also remained to chat with former world number one Billie Jean King, 71.
Murray’s victory yesterday saw his odds of winning at Wimbledon cut to 15-8 from 9-4.
Kate’s parents Carole and Michael were also at Wimbledon yesterday, watching Federer beat Frenchman Gilles Simon on Court One.