It is beginning to look as though Andy Murray may well be the man to beat at Wimbledon this year as he attempts to become the first Briton since Fred Perry in the 1930s to successfully defend his title.
Certainly the Wimbledon odds are starting to suggest the Scot can repeat his 2013 triumph when he memorably beat Novak Djokovic in the final.
Murray’s progress to the quarter-finals has been serene and, although his draw has certainly been favourable, the fact that he has yet to drop a set in his four encounters augurs well for the stiffer tests that will surely come.
The 27-year-old, who has won his last 17 matches at the All England Club, a sequence of results that stretches back to the London 2012 Olympics, saw off the big serving 20th seed Kevin Anderson to reach the quarter-finals for the seventh time.
Big serves usually ensue for big groans, as the SW19 faithful are all too familiar with (if you are a fan of the hilarious noises some of the top tennis stars make, be sure to check out Betfair’s new grunts and groans tennis compilation below), but Murray kept his cool to win 6-4 6-3 7-6 in a match that ended under the Centre Court roof after a rain delay in the second set.
Rafael Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer all stand in the British number one’s way, but the way he saw off the South African suggests he can repeat the heroics of 12 months ago and claim the third Grand Slam of his career.
