Tomas Berdych yesterday held his nerve to beat fellow Czech Jiri Vesely in the deciding set of a Wimbledon fourth-round clash he wanted to finish under the Centre Court lights 24 hours earlier.

Runner-up to Rafael Nadal six years ago, Berdych is chasing another appearance in a Wimbledon final and will tackle French 32nd seed Lucas Pouille next.

But he was frustrated to be told to play in near-darkness on Court Three on Monday, when Berdych repeatedly let winning positions slip away.

Vesely went to bed on a high after saving five match points and squaring the match, but Berdych broke three times in the deciding set when they returned yesterday afternoon, sealing a 4-6 6-3 7-6 6-7 6-3 win.

Berdych had asked to go over to Wimbledon’s main show court on Monday, to allow the match to be completed, but was turned down.

He said: “It was not really a position I would like to be in, especially last night.

“But the important thing was that I was able to erase it from my mind very quickly, get a good night’s sleep, and come back strong again to finish the last set.”

Asked why he was told the match could not continue on Centre Court, Berdych said: “There was not really a clear answer on that. I was asking for it.

“I just felt like there would be a chance to finish.

“I couldn’t really see. That’s the fact. That’s how it is. I was just asking to stop.”