Murray magic lifts title hopes

Andy Murray ratcheted the home crowd expectation up another notch with another clinical execution on Centre Court.

This time the victim was Serbia's Viktor Troicki, who was out-hit, outsmarted and totally outclassed by Murray in a 6-2 6-3 6-4 third-round demolition which took just one hour and 36 minutes.

It took Murray into the second week of Wimbledon where he will play Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka in the fourth round, and on this form it will take something extraordinary to stop him reaching next Sunday's final.

Troicki, ranked number 31 in the world, never stood a chance. In his career he has beaten the likes of Andy Roddick, Novak Djokovic and David Nalbandian.

But he had never played on Centre Court, and with the odd drop of rain falling and the prospect of the roof being used for the first time the nerves betrayed him in the sixth game of the first set when he threw in two double faults and a weak forehand into the net to gift Murray the crucial service break.

The British number one cashed in on more Troicki errors to break again and take the set.

Troicki had lost both his previous matches against Murray, winning just one game in their most recent encounter.

Murray was obviously reading the unusual Troicki service action and the Scot broke serve for the third consecutive time in the second game of the second set.

The gulf in class between the players was plain to see and with Murray's service purring along it was barely a contest, especially as Murray was returning as efficiently as he was serving.

Murray's superior class was obvious but what makes him so dangerous was summed up on advantage on Troicki's serve in the first game of the third set.

A lob from Troicki sailed over Murray and the point looked won.

For any other player it might have been, but the dogged Scot turned and ran the ball down and possessed the class to throw up such a precise lob of his own that he won the point when his opponent smashed into the net for yet another break of serve.

Talent and industry. It is a winning combination.

With the serve broken the end was inevitable and Murray served out to end the demolition.

No wonder the expectation levels are rising by the day.