Murray Wins In Latest Ever Wimbledon Finish

Andy Murray has booked himself a place in the fourth round of Wimbledon after winning in what was the latest ever finish at the grand slam.

The British number one raced the clock as he battled former grand slam finalist Marcos Baghdatis in a marathon match that broke the record for the latest finish at SW19.

There were fears the match would have to be stopped and carried over to Monday but Murray managed to close it out in four sets, winning 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Spectators sat for several hours as the drama unfolded and the clock ticked around to 11pm, when matches have to finish. In the end, the clash came to a close at 11.02pm after the Scot took charge.

He only won the third set at 10.30pm but raced through the fourth and the officials let the match run slightly past the curfew so that he could serve for the match.

The match did not start until 7pm after two lengthy clashes earlier in the day and the roof was put on at around 9pm when the light started to dim. 

Dogged fans, some wearing yellow hats in the shape of tennis balls, watched as Murray's fortunes ebbed and flowed and the player struggled with apparent injury.

He slipped and fell several times and also battled with balls falling from his pocket onto the court as he played, which cost him two points. 

His eventual victory, which lines him up to play Marin Cilic in the fourth round, narrowly beat the previous latest finish of 10.58pm set by Novak Djokovic and Olivier Rochus two years ago.

Murray said later: "When I got up at 4-1, I tried not to sit down. I don't know what the rules are. Maybe it's the first time that's happened here."

He described the conditions as tough, adding: "I was really struggling. I struck the ball a bit better under the roof and served better."

Jennifer Orme, 30, from Balham, watched with hundreds of other fans on so-called Murray Mount.

She said: "It was an incredible battle. We queued from 6am just for Murray but to see him win like that was incredible. The place was buzzing and everyone was behind him on the hill right until the end."

The Royal Box had been packed for "People's Saturday" at the All England Club, with guests including Sir Bobby Charlton, Ryan Giggs and Dame Kelly Holmes.