IT took two hours and 10 minutes.
However, it spanned two days, caused a media storm amid the rain and consumed enough newsprint to denude the Highlands. But at 2.10pm yesterday afternoon, Andy Murray pointed to the sky in his now trademark Wimbledon 2012 celebration and his journey towards a quarter-final with David Ferrer was complete.
Marin Cilic was the least of his worries. The world No.4 was racing against the weather under the exposed skies of Court No.1 and the Croat was run over, 7-5, 6-2, 6-3. The first bout of play lasted all of five minutes before the rain came down.
The second period included a sort of mini rain break as Murray and Cilic sat under umbrellas as umpire Carlos Bernardes waited to see if a shower would pass. The players looked like two fancy dress revellers waiting for a bus.
Murray, however, was all business. He closed out the second set briskly and survived four break points in the first game of the third to go on and break at 2-1 with a brilliant passing shot. The only obstacle then was further rain. It stayed away, Murray stayed on and Cilic had to accept his fate.
Ferrer will be a different proposition under the Centre Court roof this evening.
It must be stated immediately that Murray's slick victory, based on powerful and accurate serving, saved him from a desperate fate. The rain came on barely an hour after Murray left No.1 Court. It endured for all of the afternoon. If this match had gone to five sets, then it could have stretched to late last night, even to a third day.
The Scot was the model of diplomacy on the All England Club's decision to place him on Court No.1 in the midst of a prolonged spell of bad weather.
"I don't think you should get preferential treatment," he said. "I don't deserve to play all my matches on Centre Court. Someone like Roger [Federer] does. It's not a bad thing playing on the outside court. It's just when the conditions are bad it's not ideal to be out there because matches can last for two, three days, and then you get a backlog."
His final sentence on the matter was, however, an indicator of his feelings. "I hope that I play my next few matches on Centre."
He will hope, too, that there are three of them to come at Wimbledon 2012. The first has the capacity to be the last. Ferrer, at 5ft 9in, has become a substantial force this season, fully justifying his status at No.5 in the world, though he is seeded 7th at Wimbledon.
Murray yesterday rightly questioned the 30-year-old Spaniard's status as a claycourt specialist, pointing out Ferrer had won last week on grass in Den Bosch, and has reached the semi-finals of the hardcourt Opens of Australia and US. Ferrer is also playing splendidly, thrashing Juan Martin del Potro in three sets yesterday. Murray is very friendly with Ferrer but his praise but was based on solid evidence.
"He's playing the best tennis of his career in his thirties, which it seems is happening more and more now with guys," he said. "He's been with the same coach his whole career. He has the same team that he's always had. He's just kept working, doing all the right things and just kept improving. He's now winning matches everywhere. That's credit to him and he deserves it because he works very hard."
Ferrer's coach, Javier Piles, is a keen marathon runner and the player has been praised for his energy and resilience. However, there has much more to his game. He is a brilliant returner and clever at constructing a point.
The key to the match may be the serve. The Scot served brilliantly yesterday, with 10 aces in the third set and a first serve percentage for the set of 75%. He will seek to win "easy" points on the serve and put Ferrer under pressure on his.
Unfortunately for supporters of Murray, Ferrer's serve was strong against the big-hitting Del Potro. He offered four break points in his first service game, saved them, and never put up another.
Murray was asked if he envied Ferrer who "flies under the radar" in media terms, usually in the shadow of Rafael Nadal, his countryman. "I think it does help," said the world No.4. "When there are more players from your country there's a bit less attention or pressure on you because most weeks, if you lose, there are normally five or six other guys there to talk about."
Murray, again, stands alone for Great Britain in the singles as the tournament squelches through the rain to a conclusion. There is evidence he is relishing the role.
The Scot will have to be at his strongest if he is to prevail over Ferrer. He was asked yesterday what it would mean for him to lift the trophy on Sunday. "I can't put into words or describe how it would feel because I haven't felt it before," he said. "But it's so far away."
He was sure there were sensations that came when a player was in touching distance of a major triumph. But Murray, who has lost in three grand slam finals, added: "I'm not feeling that right now because I'm playing against the No.5 player in the world in my next match, and I lost against him at the French Open. I've thought about it in the past but during this tournament it's not something I've been thinking about."
The challenge of Ferrer concentrates the mind wonderfully.
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