Murray pummels Simon to ease into last 16

LONDON - Briton Andy Murray’s Wimbledon challenge gathered pace as he cruised past Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-1 6-4 6-4 and into the last 16 on Saturday.

By (Reuters)

Published: Sun 27 Jun 2010, 1:36 PM

Last updated: Mon 6 Apr 2015, 9:04 AM

The Scot’s main concern was finishing the match before bad light prompted the closing of Centre Court’s roof but he achieved that feat comfortably with a clinical display against the 26^th seed who never recovered from a poor start.

Heading into the second week Murray is yet to drop a set and of the top four seeds he appears to be the man in form.

“I didn’t lose a set and I didn’t lose my serve since the second service game of the first match,” Murray, who will face dangerous American Sam Querrey on Monday, told reporters.

“Tonight it was getting pretty dark towards the end. If I hadn’t managed to close out in that third set, we would have had to have gone off, waited for the roof to go on. So I was a little bit tentative around 3-3. But I played really well.”

Fourth seed Murray could not have hoped for a more comfortable first week and with defending champion Roger Federer and world number one Rafael Nadal already surviving major scares, talk of a first British men’s singles winner here since 1936 will intensify in the coming days.

“The start’s been very good and something that I needed for the confidence,” said Murray who has struggled this year since losing to Federer in the Australian Open final.

“I did feel I wasn’t too far away from playing very good tennis again. I just needed to put more work in, and I did that the week before. So that definitely helped me going into the tournament with my belief.

“It’s obviously showed the first few matches. But I’m going to have to play better next week if I want to go all the way.”

Simon, a former world number six, was supposed to be Murray’s first test this year but never really recovered after after dropping serve to love in the opening game.

Murray knocked off the first set in 23 minutes and from them on it was just a race against time to see if he could complete victory before organisers closed the roof and switched the lights on.

Simon, whose rise up the rankings was jolted by knee problems, raised his game and played a part in some entertaining exchanges but Murray always maintained control.

An ace clinched victory for the 23-year-old and he will head into the second week full of confidence although he will not be taking any chances against Querrey who won the Queen’s Club grasscourt tournament last week.

“It will be a tough match,” Murray said of Querrey who he first played in the U.S. Open junior quarter-finals in 2004. “He’s obviously won Queen’s. He’s a very good player.

“He’s got a big serve, bigger than the guys that I’ve played so far so a slightly more unpredictable game.”