British number one Andy Murray has overcome Ivo Karlovic in four sets 7-6 6-4 5-7 6-4 to secure his place in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.
Much had been made of Karlovic's 136 aces during the opening three rounds of the tournament, and the Croat sent down another dozen during the opening set.
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However, Murray was making a good job of handling his opponent's serve by creating five break-point chances, only for Karlovic to save each of them.
The 36-year-old secured the mini-break in the tie-break, but Murray fought back to take it 9-7, on what was his seventh set point.
Murray made immediate inroads at the beginning of the second, breaking Karlovic for the first time in the match before eventually serving out the remainder of the set.
Karlovic was able to battle back in the third set as he capitalised on mistakes by the 28-year-old on his serve at 6-5, and the Croat seized the initiative to take the set and get back into the match.
In the fourth set, the Scot adapted his tactics to counter the approach of the veteran and it yielded a break in the seventh game as the review system helped the British number one on a close call on the line.
Murray was forced to fend off a break point from the 36-year-old to hold his next service game and maintain his narrow advantage, which then allowed him to serve out the match and seal his place in the next round.
The number three seed will take on Vasek Pospisil in the last eight of the competition.
Darren Plant
