Andy Murray stormed into the fourth round of the 2017 Wimbledon Championships with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 win over Fabio Fognini on Friday. It was a splendid performance from the defending champion who needed two hours and 39 minutes to see off the volatile Italian. With the victory, Murray extended his winning streak at Wimbledon to nine matches. The world no. 1 was clinical in his third-round win against Fognini, hitting 24 winners, converting seven of nine break-point chances and winning 72 percent of his first-serve points. Of course, it also helped matters that Fognini committed a whopping 46 unforced errors in the match.
Murray will look to stretch his unbeaten run even further when he takes on Benoit Paire in the round of 16. The 30-year-old will fancy his chances against the Frenchman as he is 1-0 against Paire in their head-to-head matchup. Murray defeated Paire at the Monte Carlo Masters last year, winning in three sets, 2-6, 7-5, 7-5.
Benoit Paire barged into the fourth round of Wimbledon with a resounding 6-2, 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory over Jerzy Janowicz on Friday. It was an impressive performance from Paire who needed just one hour and 42 minutes to complete the straight-sets win. With the victory, the Frenchman advanced to the round of 16 at the All England Club for the first time in his career.
Things are bound to get tougher, though, for Paire as standing in his way in the next round is Wimbledon champion Andy Murray. Paire is 46 places below the Brit in the ATP world rankings. For Paire to record a major shock against Murray, he will need to continue his excellent play on the service end. He converted 63 percent (61-of-97) of his first serves against Janowicz with the 28-year-old winning 50 of his 61 first serve points. Paire’s net play was also impressive in that match, winning 22 of his 30 net points against Janowicz. Paire must bring the same kind of aggression this coming Monday if he is to score a massive upset against Murray.
