A weekend of departures and arrivals, some for good and some for reassessment, turned up the heat in this 2006 Wimbledon.

As the fires burned slowly under the competition for the first five days, in one 32-degree, perfect afternoon, it suddenly exploded into life, keeping local interest alive and, with the defeats of Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, also killing off any chances of an American champion this year.

Agassi's final farewell to Wimbledon simply marked the passing of time for a once-great player as much as it heralded the coming of Rafael Nadal as a serious grasscourt contender, while Murray's win over Roddick, the fifth seed and one of the most dangerous players in the world on this surface, was as unforeseen as it was a confirmation of his huge potential.

With his 7-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Roddick, the Scottish teenager has decided to deliver this year, and as the red eyes turn away from Germany and another blockbuster end to an English World Cup, Murray may represent the default option, but with another win he could be Britain's best chance of salvaging some sporting triumph and hope from the summer.

How far the unseeded 19-year-old will go can be determined today when he again steps on to Centre Court with the scalp of the 2004 and 2005 finalist still warm in his pocket. Facing the Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis, who made the final of this year's Australian Open, Murray has a chance of repeating the nerveless performance that so marked the big-serving Roddick's demise and a realistic chance of claiming a place in the quarter-final.

"If I play like I did today I have a good chance of beating him," said Murray about today's opponent. "I played a great match today. I hung in pretty well and came up with some big shots when I had to."

Baghdatis, the 18th seed, advanced past the French 15th seed, Sebastien Grosjean, in four sets, which is something he will consider when he faces the new local hero.

While Murray has shown he has the shots and the mentality to play a grandstand game on the main stage, he also demonstrated a physical weakness. The fact his body is still growing has not allowed him gain the muscularity or stamina of others players of similar age, such as the well-developed 20-year-old Nadal.

The reality is that Murray may well tire as the draw relentlessly unfolds toward next weekend, though victory over Baghdatis today could then send him into a glamorous quarter-final meeting against the 2002 winner, Australian Lleyton Hewitt.

Hewitt, today faces Spain's David Ferrer following a routine, three-set, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, win over the smallest man in the draw, Belgium's Oliver Rochus.

After a season of disappointment, Murray is finally poised to fill the space that Tim Henman vacated some years ago.

Nadal, following such a comprehensive 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 demolition of 36-year-old Agassi, has faithfully disabused those who harboured doubts about his ability to evolve from clay, where he is peerless, into a player rounded enough to truly challenge three-times winner Roger Federer. The Spanish left-hander meets Georgia's Irakli Labadze.

"It's going to be a difficult match," predicted Nadal. "He's playing well and he's a dangerous player. He plays tough, he has a good serve."

Nadal may be alone in thinking that about the Georgian, and in truth after his steel-clad win over Agassi, the twice French Open winner has a promising opportunity to claim his first Wimbledon quarter-final. Labadze advanced through to the fourth round when Mardi Fish of the US retired ill after one set.

Top seed Federer is also out on Centre Court, after Murray, for the evening match against the Czech 13th seed, Tomas Berdych, who, the Swiss number one noted at the French Open in Roland Garros, caused him some anxiety.

A flat display by his high standards characterised Federer's three-set win over Nicolas Mahut. But with the defending champion, such things are relative. If a routine performance in the third round of a Grand Slam can produce a straight-set win against a player so desperate to find a weakness that he was hitting both serves like first serves, what must the rest of the draw think about their chances of winning the biggest slice of Wimbledon's prize pot of £5,197,440.