New mother Victoria Azarenka reached the last 16 of Wimbledon on Friday with a nerve-jangling 3-6 6-1 6-4 win over home favourite Heather Watson.

Azarenka, the former world number one, who is returning to tennis after the birth of her son in December, was stung into action after Watson had ridden a patriotic wave to the first set.

Despite throwing in three double-faults to Watson's one, she broke twice to win the second and set up a decider.

Watson kicked off the third set serving, and pushed her nose in front. The Briton was finding it tough to hold, though, while Azarenka breezed through her service games.

The Belarussian clinched a break in a 10-minute seventh game, but Watson hit straight back to level it 4-4 and set off a roar within the arena. But it was only a temporary reprieve, as Azarenka punched straight back before serving out.

"I really stepped up in the key moments," she said.

Azarenka will next play either second-seeded Romanian Simona Halep or China's Peng Shuai for a place in the quarters.

Meanwhile, Spain's 'Mr Consistent' Roberto Bautista Agut reached the fourth round of a grand slam for the seventh time in his last nine attempts with a shock victory over Japanese ninth seed Kei Nishikori on Friday.

The 29-year-old proved too solid for a listless Nishikori, winning 6-4 7-6(3) 3-6 6-3 on Court Three.

Nishikori paid the price for failing to take his break point chances in the first set, especially at 4-4 when Bautista Agut saved one with a crisp forehand winner.

The Spaniard broke in the next game to take the opening set.

It was a similar story in the second set with Nishikori unable to convert any of the five break point chances that came his way before succumbing in a tiebreak.

Nishikori, who has never flourished on grass and is yet to go past the fourth round at Wimbledon, did battle back to take the third set but faltered in the fourth as Bautista Agut moved through to a last-16 showdown with Croatia's Marin Cilic.

Source: Khaleej Times