Top seed Novak Djokovic was tested to the limit by 35-year-old showman Radek Stepanek before the Serb pulled out a 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5) Wednesday win to reach the third round of the Wimbledon Championships.

Djokovic, who came to London without a match on grass this season, scrambled to a hard-fought win in three and a quarter hours against a Czech friend whom he often trains with.

“I was up two sets to love and had break points in the third,” said 2013 finalist Djokovic. “I should have closed it out. But credit to him for fighting.

“At his age he moves very well and loves to perform on the big stage. I enjoyed the match against a friend but I should not have complicated my life in this way.

“All in all, a difficult win, I’m glad I hung in mentally and managed to win.” Andy Murray raced to victory in his title defence as the third seed crushed Slovenian Blaz Rola 6-1, 6-1, 6-0.

It took Murray just 82 minutes to hammer out 27 winners and just 13 unforced errors as he broke eight times from 13 opportunities.

Murray next plays Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut, a winner over Jan Hernych 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

The Scot is bidding to become the first British man to successfully defend the Wimbledon title since Fred Perry retained his 1935 Wimbledon title in 1936.

Murray said he was happy to take a quick win.

“You’re going to get tested during the tournament. Sometimes that happens in the first round, and sometimes it can happen in semi-finals.

“I’m happy to come through matches as quickly as possible. But you’re going to get tested at some stage during the tournament.

“I go into each match expecting to lose serve, expecting to go behind, so your mind is ready and you don’t get too down on yourself if that happens. The further you go in the draw, the tougher the matches are going to get.” Sixth seed Tomas Berdych outlasted Australian Bernard Tomic 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3), 6-1.

Andrey Kuznetsov handed Spanish seventh seed David Ferrer his earliest Grand Slam exit in four years with a 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory. Ferrer was ill with a stomach virus for more than a week after Paris and had no practie on grass.

Queen’s champion Grigor Dimitrov, the 11th seed, defeated Australian Luke Saville 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky, who stunned Roger Federer a year ago, did the same on a lesser scale to French Open semi-finalist Ernests Gulbis, upsetting the 12th seed from Latvia 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).

Women's Singles

In women’s play, second seed Li Na of China mowed down Austrian Yvonne Meusburger 6-2, 6-2 while fourth-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska defeated Australian Casey Dellacqua 6-0, 6-4 in 56 minutes.

Sixth-seed Petra Kvitova, the 2011 champion, beat German Mona Barthel 6-2, 6-0 while five-time champion Venus Williams reached the Wimbledon third round for the first time since 2011 with her 7-6 (4), 6-1 defeat of Japan’s Kurumi Nara.

Serb Bojana Jovanovski knocked out eighth seed Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 as the former number one played only her third match since early March after suffering from a foot injury.

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