Andy Murray set for heavyweight clash as Wimbledon continues to play catch-up

Murray will take on fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the prime-time slot on Centre Court a day after rain and Just Stop Oil protests caused delays.

Andy Murray could be set for another late night Centre Court classic against Stefanos Tsitsipas (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Wire)

Wimbledon is again playing catch-up on Thursday after protesters and more rain caused delays on Wednesday.

British fans will have hopes for another Andy Murray classic on Centre Court as he plays fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas while three other home players are in singles action.

Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina headline the day’s action in the women’s tournament as organisers hope for better weather and no more disruption from activists.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at Thursday’s action.

Playing catch-up

The inclement weather over the first three days has caused havoc with the scheduling.

While the likes of Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic are sat comfortably in the third round, there are 17 first-round matches across both the men’s and women’s draw still to be completed going into the fourth day of the tournament – when all second-round matches are usually completed.

That backlog is going to take a couple of days to clear and with the threat of more rain to come at the weekend, tournament officials will be wary of more scheduling headaches.

Match of the day

Murray will meet Tsitsipas in the second round and it has all the hallmarks of another evening thriller under the roof.

The two-time champion has specialised in such occasions over his rich history at the tournament and this will be a good test of where his game really is.

Tsitsipas had to play four sets of his fourth-round match on Wednesday, which could help Murray, but is one of the best players in the world.

If Murray is to win, there are sure to be some nails bitten first.

Stricter security

After there were two separate Just Stop Oil protests on Wednesday, where activists twice got on to Court 18 to throw orange confetti and jigsaw pieces, security looks set to be beefed up to prevent any more incidents.

Jigsaws were removed from sale in the onsite shop on Tuesday, but fans could now have to go through a more vigorous bag check when entering the grounds.

There could also be more security guards and police on show to protect the players and courts.

Brit watch

Five British players fell on Wednesday as Heather Watson, Arthur Fery, George Loffhagen, Jodie Burrage and Sonay Kartal all lost, but the home interest remains strong on Thursday.

Murray is not the only Briton on Centre Court as Liam Broady opens up proceedings against fourth seed Casper Ruud, while Katie Boulter will look to equal her best effort at Wimbledon by beating Viktoriya Tomova on Court 12 and reach round three.

Jan Choinski completes the British singles line-up when he takes on his former doubles partner Hubert Hurkacz in the opening match on Court 18.

Order of play

Centre CourtLiam Broady v Casper RuudElena Rybakina v Alize CornetAndy Murray v Stefanos Tsitsipas

Court OneAlexander Zverev v Gijs BrouwerSloane Stephens v Donna VekicJessica Pegula v Cristina Bucsa

Other BritonsKatie Boulter v Viktoriya Tomova (Court 12)Jan Choinski v Hubert Hurkacz (Court 18)

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