Wimbledon: Ward endures heartbreak, Karlovic ages well and Kvitova crashes out

Andy Murray is safely through to the second week at Wimbledon, but he was so nearly joined by British No 4 James Ward...

The 28-year-old Londoner, enjoying his best run at the All England Club, appeared to have taken his career to new heights when he moved into a 2-1 lead against Vasek Pospisil in their third-round clash.

But the Canadian, who was aided by a booming serve, launched a stubborn fightback and clawed his way to a 6-4 3-6 2-6 6-3 8-6 win.

Ward, like Watson on Friday, had faltered with victory in his grasp. However, he has made promising strides and it's not only Murray who has earned the cheers of the home support.

Ivo ages well

A meeting with Ivo Karlovic lies ahead for Murray after the towering Croatian edged out Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in three tie-breaks to take a 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (11-9) victory.

Did you know? The 36-year-old Karlovic is the oldest player to reach the last 16 at a major since Jimmy Connors did so at the 1991 US Open at the age of 39.

But the 23rd seed had to defend himself after slow-motion replays showed he hit the ball twice on a volley on a crucial point.

Karlovic said both touches came "in one motion, so that is legal."

Describing the incident, he said: "My racquet went like this, and then it hit like here, and then boom, boom."

Tsonga cleared his opponent of any blame, saying: "It's the job of the umpire to see it. If he can't see it, I can't do anything. I just looked at the umpire. He said no. I said OK, next point."

Kvitova cannot retain crown

Petra Kvitova relinquished the women's title after suffering a surprise defeat to 28th seed Jelena Jankovic.

The Czech had no cause for concern as she coasted through the opening set, but Jankovic, who has never progressed past the fourth round, provided a stunning response.  

Trailing 3-1 down in the second set, Jankovic gradually turned the match in her favour, partly due to Kvitova's erratic forehand.

The 28th seed was left to reflect on her "unbelievable" result after completing a 3-6 7-5 6-4 win.

I was very brave at the end. Here I am. Unbelievable.

"I can't stop smiling. I'm really, really happy. I don't know how to explain it," said Jankovic, who has battled with injuries.

"I was down a set and a break in the second. I was able to just stay calm. I just played one point at a time and held my ground and won that second set.

"After that, I knew I could do it. I was fighting. I was very brave at the end. Here I am. Unbelievable."

Cilic can last pace

Marin Cilic and John Isner resumed their third-round match after play was halted due to the fading light at 10-all in the fifth set.

But the match only lasted a further two games and 15 minutes, with Cilic wrapping up a 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 12-10 win.

The American's cannon serve deserted him at a vital moment as he double-faulted on two of the last three points.

Sam Groth, another huge hitter, suffered defeat to Roger Federer despite sending down the second-fastest serve ever recorded at Wimbledon, a 147 mph (236 kph) winner.

Groth hit the serve at 1-1, 30-all in the first set against the seven-time champion, who did make contact with his racket but could not return the ball.

It narrowly missed the Wimbledon record of 148 mph (238 kph) set by Taylor Dent against Novak Djokovic in 2010.

Troicki tames Dustin

Viktor Troicki proved he could cope with Dustin Brown's athletic serve and volley game, a tactic which had dumped Rafael Nadal out of the tournament on Thursday.

The German had repeatedly troubled Nadal with dominant play at the net, but the Serb struck a string of passing shots in a 6-4, 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-3 win.

Brown, a popular figure in south-west London, was broken in the 10th game of the first set, gave back an early break in the second and lost his serve twice in the fourth.

Troicki was beaten by Nadal at the recent Stuttgart Open final, but proved he can handle a troublesome opponent with much more ease.   

More woe for Watson

Just a day after her courageous defeat by Serena Williams, there was another deciding-set loss for Watson to stomach as she and mixed doubles partner Max Mirnyi were eliminated.

Watson and Belarusian Mirnyi took the opening set, but eventually departed with a 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 loss.

A harsh end to the week for the British No 1, who can look back proudly on the last seven days.