The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsAndy Murray is through to the semi-finals of Wimbledon as the Brit held off a late fightback from Jo Wilfried Tsonga, before eventually outlasting the Frenchman 7-6 6-1 3-6 4-6 6-1. Murray appeared to be in control of the match when he edged a tight first set tie-break and dominated the second set, but Tsonga rallied with inspired tennis to force a decider. However, Murray regained control in the fifth set and raised his intensity to wear his opponent down and claim a thrilling victory.
In the opening set, both players held their first games but it was Murray who started to exert the pressure on his opponent with his solid baseline tennis. The Brit was unable to capitalise on an early break point but soon enough he made the breakthrough when Tsonga gifted the advantage with consecutive double faults. However, even though the Frenchman couldn’t convert his own opportunities in the following game, he still remained a threat and eventually retrieved the break back with a spectacular flicked passing shot winner to level the scoreline at 4-4. The set would reach a tie-break and despite Tsonga forging set points with more powerful hitting, he could not convert them. Both players continued to create chances but it was Murray who found a way to prevail, producing a delicate drop shot volley to seal a dramatic first set.
As the second set unfolded, Murray was quick to build momentum and an error strewn game from his opponent gifted the Brit an early break, which he consolidated with ease for a 3-0 lead. Tsonga was struggling for consistency as his errors continued to mount but Murray was in unforgiving mood, ruthlessly punishing his opponent for another series of wayward shots to seize the double break. The world number two remained serene on serve and soon enough he wrapped up the set clinically with a forehand winner, to open up a two set lead.
In the third set, Murray looked to gain an early break but the Frenchman had regrouped, and held his first few service games. At 2-1 up, Tsonga’s persistence was rewarded and he broke his opponent after producing consecutive blistering returns that Murray couldn’t handle. Even though the Brit held his remaining service games, Tsonga continued his rich vein of form to hold off his opponent, and he closed out the set with another massive serve to extend the encounter.
The early stages of the fourth set saw Murray save a break point, as Tsonga maintained his impressive serving display to keep the scoreline tight. However, at 3-2 down, the Frenchman suffered a dip in form and his erratic shot-making enabled Murray to seal the break. But, Tsonga was providing stiff resistance and his heavy forehand groundstrokes eventually saw him claim the break back, as he saved more break points en route to levelling the scoreline at 4-4, leaving Murray increasingly frustrated. Tsonga continued to produce exceptional tennis and he broke his opponent again with a sumptuous backhand passing shot winner down the line, before confidently serving out the set to take the match into a decider.
In the fifth set, Murray was in danger of conceding his serve early on but this time the Brit managed to save it, as he went on to hold his opening game. This would prove to be pivotal as the world number two then stepped up his form in the following game, leaning into a deep backhand return before dispatching a forehand winner to take the crucial break. Now fired up and using the crowd to his advantage, Murray consolidated his lead and his aggressive intent was rewarded when he gained the double break to establish an unassailable 5-0 margin. Even though Tsonga forced his opponent to close out the match, Murray remained strong on serve and finished off with an ace, to clinch a hard fought win.
Murray will take on former SW19 finalist Tomas Berdych in the semi-finals, as the Czech stopped the run of Lucas Pouille with a 7-6 6-3 6-2 win.
Meanwhile, in another five set classic, Roger Federer produced a stirring comeback to recover from two sets down and match points down to eventually overcome Marin Cilic 6-7 4-6 6-3 7-6 6-3. The Croat looked in control of the contest early on as he impressively established a two set lead and held break points and match points in the third and fourth sets. However, the combination of Federer’s clutch serving and his opponent’s indecisiveness at times allowed the Swiss maestro to secure the third set before edging a pulsating fourth set tiebreak to force a decider. In the fifth set, it was Federer who held his nerve and seized a crucial break en route to closing out the victory, keeping his hopes of an eighth Wimbledon title alive. The world number three will meet Milos Raonic in the last four, as the Canadian defeated Sam Querry in four sets.
On the women’s side, Serena Williams continued the defence of her title with a comfortable 6-4 6-4 victory over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and the world number one will face Elena Vesnina, who cruised past Dominika Cibulkova in straight sets. Also, Venus Williams advanced with a 7-6 6-2 win against Yaroslava Shvedova, to set up a semi-final clash against Angelique Kerber, as the German edged out Simona Halep 7-5 7-6.
