Before Saturday, Nicolas Mahut’s 17-year career had seen him win four ATP World Tour singles titles – all on grass – and 15 tour-level doubles titles, including three consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments earlier this season.

He and doubles partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert, a fellow Frenchman, also have enjoyed success at Grand Slams, winning the 2015 US Open. But before Saturday, Mahut had never reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam championship in singles. The 34 year old had reached the third round of a Grand Slam four previous times – 2006 Wimbledon (l. to Federer), 2012 Australian Open (l. to Djokovic), 2012 and 2015 Roland Garros (l. to Federer; l. to Simon).

On Saturday, his luck changed but it came at his partner’s expense: Mahut moved into the fourth round with a 7-6(5), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Herbert, who also was bidding to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam championship for the first time in singles.

Both players sought to use their serve-and-volley skills that have been honed through hundreds of doubles matches. Mahut, No. 51 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, approached the net 44 times, winning almost 60 per cent of his chances. Herbert, No. 81 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, was even more aggressive and had more success, winning 67 per cent of his net points (32/48).

The 25-year-old Herbert likely will have more chances to reach the latter stages of a Grand Slam. This fortnight marked his third Wimbledon and his seventh Grand Slam championship as a singles player. Mahut, on the other hand, is playing in his 10^th Wimbledon and his 42^nd Grand Slam championship as a singles player.

He’ll next face American Sam Querrey, who toppled top seed Novak Djokovic on Saturday 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(5).

Lucas Pouille is a set away from extending his best Grand Slam run and ending Juan Martin del Potro’s comeback tour at The Championships. Pouille, the No. 32 seed, leads their third-round match 6-7(4), 7-6(8), 7-5 after two hours and 25 minutes on Saturday evening, when play was suspended because of darkness.

Both players held serve prior to del Potro snagging the first-set tie-break. The Argentine went up a break in the second, before Pouille broke back to force another tie-break. The 22 year old then broke del Potro at 5-6 to go up two sets to one.

Pouille’s previous best result at a Grand Slam championship was the second round at Roland Garros (2013, 2016). Their match will resume on Sunday, along with five other men’s singles matches. Play on “Middle Sunday” has taken place only three other times in Wimbledon’s 139-year history: 1991, 1997 and 2004.

The winner of the Pouille vs. del Potro match will face 19^th seed Bernard Tomic, who swept Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 6-4, 6-4. The Aussie won 69 per cent of his service points and saved all four break points, while breaking Bautista Agut four times. Tomic looks to match his best showing at Wimbledon, a quarter-finals appearance in 2011. 

“I knew my game had to be attack from the start, focus on my serve,” Tomic said. “I think I had to play that way. Otherwise I would have played a long match, and it’s something I didn’t want to do… I think today just showed how good I can actually play on grass.”

German Alexander Zverev, a member of the ATP’s Next Generation, outlasted Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 3-6, 6-0, 4-6, 6-2 to match his best showing at a Grand Slam championship. The 19 year old also reached the third round at Roland Garros earlier this season. On Sunday, Zverev, the 24^th seed, will face 10^th seed Tomas Berdych, who eased past Benjamin Becker 6-4, 6-1, 6-2.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Zverev, who’s lost their three prior FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings. “We always have tough matches.”

Sixth seed Milos Raonic will challenge No. 11 seed David Goffin in the fourth round of The Championships on Monday.

Raonic, who advanced to the 2014 Wimbledon semi-finals (l. to Federer), knocked out No. 27 seed Jack Sock 7-6(2), 6-4, 7-6(1) on Saturday in a match that finished at 8:42 p.m. local time.

“I think I created quite a few chances there [on his serve] towards the third set,” said Raonic. “I played way too passive on pretty much all of them. On one of them, he had an incredible forehand cross‑court. I’m happy with the way I was able to get it done in three sets and move on and give myself another challenge looking forward.”

In a close first set, Raonic won four of the first six points in the tie-break and secured a service break in the seventh game of the second set. With his 34th victory of the year in sight, Raonic played a near perfect third-set tie-break to wrap-up the day’s play on Centre Court.

Raonic recorded his eighth straight win in nine FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings over Sock. The Canadian also won their 2014 Wimbledon second-round meeting 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Goffin reached the fourth round for the second successive year with a 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 victory over World No. 116 Denis Istomin. It was his 25th match win at the four Grand Slam championships.

“I’m feeling a little bit tired,” said Goffin. “The last two days have been tough with the rain. It’s tough to wait in the locker room. You try to eat, you try to stay calm, and you never know when you’re going to go on court and stuff. It’s tough. But, at the end, I’m really happy to get through to the fourth round for the second time here.”

Elsewhere, seventh seed Richard Gasquet will sleep on a 2-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 lead against Albert Ramos-Vinolas after bad light stopped play at the All England Club. Gasquet’s compatriot, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the No. 12 seed, saved two break points at 5-5 in the third set to prolong his clash with No. 18 seed John Isner to Sunday. Isner led 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-7(5) when play was suspended at 9:20 p.m.

There will be play on the Middle Sunday at Wimbledon for only the fourth time, after 1991, 1997 and 2004. The grass-court major’s seventh day is traditionally a rest day.

Second seed Andy Murray avoided the upset bug on Saturday at Wimbledon, but is maintaining his low-key approach in an effort to win a second Wimbledon title.

The Brit dispatched John Millman in straight sets in an entertaining match on Centre Court. Having been stretched to a deciding third set in their only previous meeting in the second-round at Brisbane in 2013, Murray said he knew he had to be at the top of his game to prevail.

“He’s a very fit guy. He has a great attitude. He doesn’t give you many free points, very few unforced errors,” said Murray. “When he gets into a rhythm, he’s tough to play because he makes you work every single point. If you’re making a few errors, not feeling quite so comfortable, he certainly doesn’t give you anything for free.”

Next up for Murray is either No. 15 seed Nick Kyrgios or No. 22 seed Feliciano Lopez. Murray leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Lopez 10-0, including a straight-sets victory on grass in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in 2011. He also leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivaly with Kyrgios 4-0, with three of those victories coming last year in Grand Slams. Although Murray hasn’t lost to either player, he said they can’t be underestimated on grass.

Watch: Murray Talks About His Win Over Millman

“They’re quite different players. Feli serves-and-volleys a lot, uses a lot of slice. He’s a lefty [and] comes to the net loads. Plays with a decent amount of spin on his forehand [and] serves very well,” said Murray. “Nick, again, extremely good server. He… is a bit more dangerous probably from the back of the court. He’s improving all the time, likes the big courts and the big matches and has performed well in those situations before. Tricky either way.”

British expectations on Murray have risen even higher after top seed Novak Djokovic suffered a shocking loss to American Sam Querrey on Saturday. But while Murray’s odds of winning the title have increased on paper, he said it’s business as usual for him for now.

“If I were to reach the final, then it may have some bearing, but it doesn’t right now. My draw’s still exactly the same. The matches, in the next round especially, are tough,” said Murray. “The bookies don’t always get it right. Your job is to go out there and try to win the matches that are there in front of you.  That’s what I’ll try and do.”

Lleyton Hewitt came out of retirement and enjoyed a marathon victory in the doubles draw on Saturday at Wimbledon. Teaming up with Jordan Thompson, the pair saved eight match points in winning a 157-minute deciding set over Nicolas Almagro and David Marrero to move into the second round, 6-7(6), 6-4, 19-17.

“I used to watch Lleyton play at Wimbledon when I was young,” Thompson said. “To play with someone I idolised is unbelievable, and so is winning 19-17 in a deciding set. He just told me to relax and enjoy the moment. It was the only thing he said and the only thing I needed to hear.

“[Our partnership] was a last-minute thing. I am extremely honoured to play with him. I had been looking forward to it ever since we received our wild card. You can learn a lot from him. Practising with him has made me a better player.”

Hewitt and Thompson needed two minutes shy of four hours to complete the match. Hewitt recorded his first victory since reaching the third round in doubles (with Sam Groth) at this year’s Australian Open. Next up for the pair are the winner of the match between No. 8 seeds Vasek Pospisil/Jack Sock and Quentin Halys/Tristan Lamasine.

Fifth seeds Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo had a convincing second-round win over Santiago Gonzalez and Scott Lipsky, 6-2, 6-3. Next up for them is the winner of the match between eleventh seeds Raven Klaasen/Rajeev Ram and Konstantin Kravchuk/Denys Molchanov.

Sixth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Florian Mergea moved into the third round over Andrej Martin and Hans Podlipnik-Castillo, 7-5, 6-2. Next up for them are either tenth seeds Henri Kontinen/John Peers or Marcin Matkowski/Leander Paes.

Ninth seeds Dominic Inglot and Daniel Nestor defeated Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi in first-round action, 6-2, 7-6(3). They will now play Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who prevailed over Marc Lopez and Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 6-3, 6-3.

The upset of the day went to British duo Ken Skupski and Neal Skupski, who delighted the local crowd with a first-round win over seventh seeds Lukasz Kubot and Alexander Peya, 2-6, 7-6, 11-9. Next up for them are Oliver Marach and Fabrice Martin, who defeated Sanchai Ratiwatana and Sonchat Ratiwatana, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Other teams to advance through their first-round on Sunday include No. 10 seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers, No. 11 seeds Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram, 15th seeds Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers, and 16th seeds Mate Pavic and Michael Venus.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic looked to the positives on Saturday after his shock third-round exit to Sam Querrey at The Championships. “I believe in positive things in life,” said Djokovic. “I managed to win four Grand Slams in a row – two different seasons, though. I want to try to focus on that rather than on failure.

“I have a family and I have a life outside of tennis. I have plenty of things to look forward to. I’m going to obviously pay more attention to those things than tennis in the next period. I need it. It’s been a very successful year so far, but a very long one, exhausting one, in every sense of that word. I just need some rest.”

Over the past 12 months, Djokovic has won all four Grand Slam championships and eight ATP World Tour tournament titles. Last month at Roland Garros, the Serbian became just the third man to hold all four major titles at one time, joining Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962, 1969). The Serbian also became the eighth man to win all four Grand Slam championships during his career, joining Fred Perry, Budge, Laver, Roy Emerson, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

“I don’t think [the weight of history] played a big of a factor, to be honest,” said Djokovic. “Coming into this match [against Querrey], I knew that it was going to be very close, not easy to break his serve. If he’s on a roll, as he was, it’s really hard to read his serve. He hits his spots really well. Whenever he had a chance from the rally, he was going for the shots. Most of them were coming in.”

Watch: Djokovic Discusses Loss To Querrey

His 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(5) loss to Querrey was Djokovic’s earliest loss at a Grand Slam championship since 2009 when he fell in the Roland Garros third round to Philipp Kohlschreiber.

While Djokovic’s quest for a calendar year Grand Slam will have to wait until next year, he’s now 46-4 on the season.

“It’s disappointing, of course, losing at a Grand Slam hurts… There is no doubt about that,” said Djokovic. “I just wasn’t feeling the ball as well as I wished. But that’s sport.”

Sam Querrey scored the upset of the Wimbledon fortnight on Saturday by eliminating three-time champion Novak Djokovic in four sets. He became the first American to beat a No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings at a Grand Slam since 2002, when Andre Agassi knocked out Lleyton Hewitt at the US Open.

“It can be tricky with all those rain delays,” said Querrey, who ranked a career-high No. 17 in January 2011. “But fortunately I just went out there, served well the whole time and played a great tie-break at the end to get the win. It’s an unbelievable win. To do it here at Wimbledon is really special.”

The 28 year old earned his win the hard way, building on a two-set-to-love lead on Friday before his third-round match was postponed. While many ATP World Tour stars would have experienced a sleepless night, given the magnitude of situation, it was just another Friday night for the laid-back Santa Monica resident.

“I slept great,” Querrey said. “I’m a pretty relaxed guy. We had an easy dinner at the house. My parents were there, there were some friends; my girlfriend. We just kind of hung out. Nothing exciting.

“I got back here today and went to work. I just stayed the course and didn’t do anything special.”

Querrey is into the fourth round at a Grand Slam championships for the first time since the 2010 US Open. He’ll next face Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, who has won their past two FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings.

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Second seed and 2013 champion Andy Murray continued his quest for a second title at The Championships on Saturday when he defeated John Millman 6-3, 7-5, 6-2 in two hours and 21 minutes on Centre Court.

Murray, who has a 49-9 record at the All England Club, where he beat Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final, will next face No. 15 seed Nick Kyrgios or No. 22 seed Feliciano Lopez in the Wimbledon fourth round.

“I think I’m playing well,” said Murray. “Some of the tennis I played at the end of the matches, in particular the last two matches, in the third sets has been very good. Today, I went through a tough sort of 15‑20‑minute period in that second set and came through it well. There were a lot of long rallies and tough games.”

Murray took a 3-0 lead against Millman in the first set, which saw both players exchange breaks mid-set. Murray was unable to convert a set point opportunity at 5-2, with Millman serving at Ad-out. Rain began to fall at the end of the first set at 3:49 p.m. local time, but the pair’s second meeting resumed at 4:26 p.m.

Millman was more competitive in the second set, but Murray was able to break to 30 for a 4-3 advantage. The Australian saved two set points in the ninth game, at a point when news spread of Sam Querrey’s victory over Djokovic on No. 1 Court. Serving for the set at 5-4, Murray lost the first three points and was subsequently broken.

Murray dug deep to break Millman in a 20-point game, converting his fifth break point chance, and then held to 30 for the 71-minute second set. “I thought the second set was pretty high quality stuff,” said Millman. “It was just very physical. I think he doesn’t let up. He’s always pressing you and always making you do just a little bit more.”

From 5-5 in the second set, Murray won six straight games and went on to maintain his record of never having lost to an Australian (18-0 lifetime). The World No. 2 is now 36-6 on the year.

“Centre Court is a special place for a tennis player at Wimbledon,” said Millman. “I left it all out there. Andy was too good. But I will remember it for a long time.”

Last month, Murray captured a record fifth Aegon Championships title. Seven of his 37 tour-level singles titles have come on grass courts. Victory on Centre Court moved him past his coach, Ivan Lendl, to ninth place in the Open Era match wins list at Wimbledon.

MOST WIMBLEDON MATCH WINS IN OPEN ERA

Kyrgios and Lopez are tied at one-set apiece on Saturday night as bad light stopped play at 9 p.m. local time. There will be play on the Middle Sunday at Wimbledon for only the fourth time, after 1991, 1997 and 2004. The tournament’s seventh day is traditionally a rest day.

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