Andy Murray is through to the semi-final at The Championships for the first time in his career.
Murray produced a majestic performance on Wednesday afternoon to defeat the former world No.1 from Spain, Juan Carlos Ferrero, 7-5 6-3 6-2.
The No.3 seed took just 1 hour 41 minutes to dispatch Ferrero, a wildcard entry into the main draw, in front of an appreciative full house crowd on Centre Court.
Unlike Monday night’s epic against Stanislas Wawrinka, the roof was not needed as the first set went with serve until 6-5 when Murray made the decisive break through.
The 22 year-old then immediately lost his serve in the second set but reeled off five consecutive games from 1-3 to take control of the match, sealing victory with a further two breaks in the third.
In the last four, the British No.1 will meet either Lleyton Hewitt or Andy Roddick, both experienced campaigners at Wimbledon. Hewitt is a former champion having defeated David Nalbandian to win the title in 2002 while Andy Roddick has reached the final on two occasions.
Murray’s previous best performance at The Championships came in 2008 when he lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal in the quarter final while his greatest run at a Grand Slam saw him finish runner-up at last year’s US Open, losing to Roger Federer in the final.
The other semi-final will see Roger Federer face Tommy Haas after the two players defeated Ivo Karlovic 6-3 7-5 7-6(3) and Novak Djokovic 7-5 7-6(6) 4-6 6-3 respectively. The men’s last four will be played on Friday.
Murray & Huber progress in mixed
Jamie Murray and Liezel Huber, who reached the semi-final together at Wimbledon in 2008, have booked their place in the mixed doubles quarter final after knocking out a seeded pair for the second match in a row.
Murray and Huber defeated American No.6 seeds Mike Bryan and Bethanie Mattek-Sands 7-6(6) 4-6 6-3 in the third round to set up a last eight clash with the No.15 seeds from Czech Republic, Lukas Dlouhy and Iveta Benesova.
Murray, who famously won the title with Jelena Jankovic in 2007, also teamed up with Huber to finish runner-up at last year’s US Open, losing to Leander Paes and Cara Black 6-7(6) 4-6 in the final.