Straight-sets win for Murray

Andy Murray reached the second week of Wimbledon in style with a straight-sets victory over 32nd seed Tommy Robredo under the Centre Court roof.

The world number two has not yet looked close to dropping a set in three matches, and for a set and a half he was quite brilliant today.

Murray could not quite maintain that high level for the remainder of the match but it was good enough and he wrapped up a 6-2 6-4 7-5 success to set up a fourth-round meeting against either Mikhail Youzhny or Viktor Troicki on Monday.

The Scot said: “I thought it was a high-level match. I struck the ball pretty well throughout the match. Towards the end of the second set and at the start of the third set he started to feel more comfortable. It was his first match indoors on the grass.

“I had a lot of winners tonight, that was the most pleasing part, because I had plenty of good serves before but I hadn’t hit many winners from the back of the court.

“I hope I can keep playing better but I have been pushed in my matches. I have been tested but I have come through it well.”

It was tough to see anything other than a relatively straightforward victory for Murray heading into the match. Robredo had never been past the third round at Wimbledon and admitted before the clash that he is not comfortable on grass.

At this strangest of Wimbledons, though, anything was possible, and Robredo has recent experience of making the seemingly impossible possible.

Since returning last summer from surgery on a hamstring problem that had dogged him for a long time, Robredo has surged back up the rankings, reaching 29th prior to this tournament.

At the French Open, he won three consecutive matches from two sets down, the first man to achieve such a feat at a grand slam for 86 years.

Murray had looked superb in his first two matches, rising serenely above the carnage unfolding around him, but he has had a number of tough matches under the roof, notably against Stanislas Wawrinka in 2009 and last year’s struggle with Marcos Baghdatis, plus, of course, his final defeat by Roger Federer.

The tone was set early as Murray, who was again striking the ball brilliantly, sent Robredo scampering from one side of the court to the other, earning a break of serve in only the third game.

And it was to get even better two games later, a flash of a cross-court backhand giving Murray a break point, and Robredo then sent a forehand well long.

Rather surprisingly, the Spaniard then ended a four-game losing streak by breaking Murray, an ill-advised drop shot costing the Scot.

But he hit back straight away with another break and wrapped up a 35-minute set with an unreturnable serve.

Murray wasted no time taking control in the second set, a backhand whipped across Robredo giving him a break in the first game.

Robredo had the best view in the house of how well his opponent was playing, Murray’s backhand really fizzing off his racket, but the 32nd seed was battling hard, fighting off a break point to hold for 3-2.

As the battle went on, Murray’s level began to drop a little, and, after shanking a forehand on his first set point, he found himself facing break point as Robredo attempted to make it 5-5.

He saved it with a bullet of a forehand, Robredo almost appearing to be knocked off his feet as he went tumbling to the turf, and took his second set point when his opponent sent a backhand long, letting out a cry of “Yes!”.

The pair had met in the middle – Murray unable to find the rarefied heights of the first set and a half, Robredo striking his forehand with more aggression.

Both men were rattling through their service games – the first eight games of the third set took just 28 minutes.

But when Robredo served at 5-5 there came a twist.

A backhand volley plum on the join of baseline and sideline set up a break point, Robredo smiling ruefully, and when the Spaniard netted a tame forehand, Murray had the chance to serve for the match.

The crowd roared, and the Scot made sure there were no late twists. There was one last hurrah as Robredo saved a match point with a superb running forehand pass, but he netted moments later and Murray had his victory.