Andy Murray beats Tsonga in five-set thriller to reach Wimbledon semi-finals

 Britain’s Andy Murray survived a major mid-match blip to beat France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in five sets on Centre Court at Wimbledon. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian

Kevin Mitchell at Wimbledon

The vapour trails of Roger Federer’s extraordinary comeback against Marin Cilicwere still fresh on Centre Court when Andy Murray fought through the gloaming to survive a brutal five-set examination of his resolve by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals against Tomas Berdych on Friday.

It was by far his toughest match of the tournament – rightly so, against the highest-ranked player of the five he has faced – before he prevailed 7-6 (12-10), 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1 in three hours and 53 minutes of high drama.
Murray looked set at two sets to one and 4-2 up, before his troubles deepened to the point of minor crisis as Tsonga – who came from two sets down to beat Federer here at the same stage five years ago – blossomed in the fading light on Centre Court.


Andy Murray struggles to find sense of equilibrium before tipping the scales

If the plot goes to script, the seven-times champion Federer awaits in Sunday’s final, although Milos Raonic might have something to say about that in Friday’s other semi-final. But nothing is certain about this tournament.

As with Cilic, who drove Federer to the limits of his talent at the start of their match, nobody had told Tsonga he was supposed to roll over like a good underdog, and he simply refused to go away.

Murray, the world No2, remains a warm favourite to win his second title here, and that has nothing to do with the absence of Novak Djokovic, the man he beat to lift his first Wimbledon trophy, but who seems to have suffered an emotional and physical collapse after winning his fourth major in a row in Paris in May. The Serb, though, was on Federer’s side of the draw; Murray has had probably his easiest run to the final weekend in 11 visits to Wimbledon. A tough match against Tsonga was good preparation for the closing stages.

He is playing the best tennis of his career, better than 2012, when he broke through at the Olympics then Flushing Meadows, better than in 2013, when he won Wimbledon with a bad back. On that a range of critics and friends are in agreement, from his Davis Cup captain, Leon Smith, to John McEnroe, making his usual noises in the commentary box as well as helping Raonic find his best tennis on grass.


Tsonga, the perennial underachiever of the modern game,had conceded beforehand Murray was the better player, with the higher ranking and more to show for his efforts over the years. Yes, he said, Murray had the sharper backhand; he moved more quickly, perhaps. But he backed his own forehand power, as well as his serve. And, in a whirlwind opening, Tsonga’s prognosis was not far wrong.

However, after a stout start, the Frenchman looked to be going the way of the British wildcard Liam Broady, 32-year-old Lu Yen-hsun, Australian trier John Millman and his combustible compatriot Nick Kyrgios, who detained the Scot a total of seven hours and 17 minutes.

What a contrast it has been to Murray’s French Open campaign, where his opening two matches against rank outsiders took five sets each. Here, under the renewed guidance of Ivan Lendl, his concentration and sharpness have been not just impressive but irresistible. Apart from dropping serve here and there, he has rarely looked in trouble.

Tsonga did break back on his way to forcing a tie-break in the first set but, apart from that, struggled to get in the contest. Murray’s serving and groundstrokes gave the world No12 few chances in the second, where he took three of four break opportunities in a clinical deconstruction of Tsonga’s tennis. Then there was a blip. Tsonga broke and held for 4-1. Earlier, Federer had come back to win from two sets down for the 10th time in his career, one more than Murray’s mark, but, whatever his undeniably excellent skills and commitment, Tsonga is not in that class. He has made such a fightback four times – and that is the way it stayed.


One exchange summed up the higher ambitions of both players: at the end of a 14-shot rally that dragged both players to all corners of the court in the first point of the seventh game, Murray found a running forehand winner to leave Tsonga nonplussed at the net and the crowd agog. It has to go in the tournament’s top 10. Serving big and going for the lines, Tsonga hung on to take the third.

In the fourth, Tsonga, for the second time in the match, came in behind his second serve to save one of three break points in the sixth game, but then hit long, and Murray was in sight of the line. Tsonga blew three break points but converted a fourth with a pinpoint winner to level at four-all and Murray was livid with himself. He had three chances to break back in the ninth game, but Tsonga, serving near his best, held.

Murray was ranting at himself now, and getting no dividend from it. Ivan Lendl looked down impassively from his box. Tsonga, on fire, broke with a searing backhand winner and served out for two sets all.

After winning the first game of the fifth set, Murray turned to his box, jabbed the side of his head with his finger and said: “I am not going to lose this match.”
Andy Murray gives himself a pep talk after the first game of the fifth set. Photograph: Tom Jenkins for the Guardian

Even at 3-0 up in that fifth, there was no rest for Murray as Tsonga pounded one big forehand after another, but more of them were missing the target. Brave but visibly tiring, the Frenchman found his Scottish friend a most stubborn foe. It was all guns blazing at the finish. Murray struck his 13th ace to hold to love for 5-0; Tsonga hit two for 5-1; The final shot of a wonderful match was a 14th Murray ace.

Roger Federer fights back and moves a matter of aces from an 18th major
Kevin Mitchell at Wimbledon

“The end of that fourth set was really tough, to lose it 6-4 was hard. I tried to use all my energy at the start of the fifth to get myself pumped up,” he said. “I got the early break and managed to hang on to it. Berdych will be very tough. He’s been to the final here. He’s beaten Djokovic and Federer at Wimbledon. I’ll need to play well.”

Since the start of Queen’s – where he won a record fifth title two weekends ago – Murray is unbeaten on grass this summer. He would love to make it an even dozen wins on Sunday afternoon. He will be relieved, though, that he made it to 10 on Wednesday night.