Andy Murray is closing in on his second Wimbledon title after outlasting Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(10), 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, in the quarter-finals.
The world No.2 had a commanding head-to-head record of 15-3 against the Frenchman going into the match and hasn’t lost to him on the grass since a Challenger event in 2004. Despite Murray’s Dominance against Tsonga, it was inevitable that it wouldn’t be a straightforward encounter against a player with as much power as the world No.12.
During a dramatic 78-minute opening set on Centre Court, both men traded breaks of service before the proceedings went into a classic tiebreaker with both players producing stunning tennis in front of a highly animated crowd. Opportunities came and went for both men with Tsonga failing to take advantage of three set points due to some sublime defensive play from the Brit. Then it was Murray’s turn in the roller coaster tiebreaker. After three failed attempts, the world No.2 finally closed proceedings out on his fourth set point to grab the early lead in the match.
Murray’s triumph in the first set resulted in a dramatic second set decline in Tsonga’s momentum on the court as Murray extended his lead with ease. Only one unforced error was produced from the Brit as Tsonga’s winning service percentage fell from 61% to 41%. It was a stark contrast to the entertaining start to the match with Murray dictating throughout.
Boasting two-set lead, things were far from over for Murray against somebody with a level of fighting spirit that Muhammad Ali would have been proud of. In the third round of the tournament, Tsonga rallied from two down sets down to defeat John Isner 19-17 in the final set. The Tsonga comeback was on the cards yet again in the quarter-finals when he broke for 3-1 in the third set following a tentative Murray service game. His break was crucial to the outcome of the set as the 31-year-old closed it out to reignite his Wimbledon title hopes.
Fearing the prospect of a five-set match, Murray did regain his dominance with the help of an erratic service game from his opponent. Three errors from Tsonga aided the world No.2 to break for 4-2 before Tsonga immediate retrieved the break. The task of taming the Frenchman was proving too problematic as the Tsonga continued his resurgence with some heavy hitting to grab a second successive break before forcing the match into a decider.
The world No.2 boasted a positive record of winning his last five five-set matches and his display against Tsonga in the decider was evident as to why. Almost three-and-a-half hours after the first struck of the ball, Murray’s determination and passion was greater than ever. A blistering forehand cross-court winner sealed another break to elevate him to 2-0. Once again Murray had control of the match and this time his nemesis had no answers. A Tsonga forehand into the net moved Murray to 4-0 and once again two games away from the win. The victory was finally sealed three minutes shy of the four-hour mark when Murray fired an ace out wide.
Murray’s marathon triumph featured 14 aces, 46 winners and 23 unforced errors. He will now play in his seventh semifinal at SW19.
“Obviously it was a tough match. The end of the fourth set was tough after losing the break 4-2 up and to lose that set 6-4 was hard.” Murray said about her marathon encounter.
“I just tried to use all of my energy at the start of the fifth set to try and get myself up and try to get the crowd pumped.”
In the last four Murray will play Tomas Berdych, who dismissed France’s Lucas Pouille 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-2. The world No.2 has won eight out of his 14 matches against Berdych and hasn’t lost to him since 2013. The upcoming encounter will be their first meeting on the grass.
