Murray into QFs on a day of breakthroughs

Andy Murray yesterday reached a fifth successive Wimbledon quarter-final where he will meet Spanish bulldozer David Ferrer who has made the last eight for the first time at the 10th attempt.

British fourth seed Murray beat Croatian 16th seed Marin Cilic 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 as organisers scrambled to make up for lost time caused by heavy rain.

He will now attempt to go on to a fourth All England Club semi-final on the trot, but will first have to get past seventh-seeded Ferrer who put out Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.

Also making the quarter-finals were Florian Mayer, Philipp Kohlschreiber and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

It’s the first time since Wimbledon in 1997 that two German men have made the last eight of a Grand Slam.

Mayer, the 31st seed, defeated Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 in another match which was held over from Monday.

For 27th-seeded Kohlschreiber, it was a particularly memorable day as he reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the 33rd attempt by clinching a 6-1, 7-6, 6-3 win over American qualifier Brian Baker.

Kohlschreiber, who will face French fifth seed Tsonga in the last eight, fired 23 aces.

Tsonga beat Mardy Fish 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Murray had led Queen’s Club winner Cilic, against whom he was defending a 5-1 career record, 7-5, 3-1 overnight when play was suspended due to Monday’s downpours.

They played two games yesterday before more rain sent them off Court One for an hour.

But on the resumption, the Scot was rarely troubled as Cilic struggled with his opponent and the damp, chilly conditions.

Murray was playing his last-16 tie against a background of controversy after it was suggested that, as the country’s best hope for a finalist since Bunny Austin in 1938, he should play all his matches on Centre Court.

“I honestly don’t care which court I play on. It makes no difference but obviously every player would rather be on Centre Court because you know you are going to get your match in regardless of the weather,” Murray said.

Only three of the scheduled last 16 men’s ties had been completed on Monday with Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Mikhail Youzhny able to enjoy a day off before today’s quarter-finals.

Federer will play Youzhny looking for a 14th win in 14 matches against the Russian.

Defending champion Djokovic will tackle Mayer, who has reached the quarter-finals for the second time, eight years after his first appearance, with his victory over Gasquet.