Wednesday 6 July 2016 15:47, UK
Andy Murray can edge closer to a third Wimbledon final if he defeats Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Wednesday's quarter-final on Centre Court.
The second seed is the new favourite for the men's title following Novak Djokovic's surprise departure, but seven-time winner Roger Federer and the dangerous Milos Raonic are among the remaining field of eight players at the All England Club.
Murray comfortably overcame Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round and will next face Frenchman Tsonga, an opponent he has beaten twice before in the latter stages of this tournament.
The British No 1, who has won nine of the pair's last 10 matches, defeated Tsonga in the 2010 quarter-finals and repeated that success in the 2012 semi-finals.
But Tsonga showed his battling qualities in a marathon five-set win over John Isner in round three and will be refreshed as he benefited from Richard Gasquet's retirement in the first set of their fourth-round match.
Murray did not exert much energy in a straight-sets win over Kyrgios, who was brutally honest about his lack of focus, and the world No 2 will not be expecting such a dramatic collapse from Tsonga.
"Tsonga is a top grass-court player and I'll need to play very well to win that one," said Murray.
"You can learn from the matches that you've played against him, see the things that worked well and try to execute that when you play him the next time."
Earlier in the day, Federer will start the schedule with a match against Marin Cilic, who has reached the quarter-finals for a third successive year.
Federer holds five wins over the ninth-seeded Croat, but Cilic's only victory came in their last encounter at the 2014 US Open, where he won their semi-final on the way to a maiden Grand Slam title triumph.
The Swiss star has been stuck on 17 major titles since Wimbledon 2012, although he will be heartened by the exit of Djokovic and four wins without the loss of a set.
Sam Querrey was the unlikely conqueror of Djokovic and will be hoping to extend his run with another upset win over sixth seed Raonic.
The American defeated Raonic at Wimbledon four years ago, although the Canadian has improved mentally and physically since then and battled to a five-set win over David Goffin in the last round.
In the last remaining quarter-final, 10th seed Tomas Berdych will take on Lucas Pouille, who has never before reached this stage of a major competition.
Both men have come through draining encounters as Berdych was extended to five sets by Jiri Vesely, while Pouille eventually overcame Bernard Tomic 6-4 4-6 3-6 6-4 10-8.
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