Federer came back from two sets down and saved three match points before a low powered precision ace iced Cilic and handed the 34-year-old with a bad back an epic 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(9), 6-3 quarterfinal win in three hours and 18 minutes.
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Seven times champion Swiss Tennis star Roger Federer will take on ninth-seeded Marin Cilic in the quarter final of men’s singles in Wimbledon today.
Berdych, the 2010 runner-up, beat France’s Lucas Pouille 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 6-2 to set up a 15th meeting with Murray – the Czech trails 8-6. This time Tsonga broke in the fourth, and no matter that Murray slotted a couple of stunning passes off some deft drop shots from Tsonga, he could not break back and the Frenchman served out the set, 6-3.
It was Murray’s 100th tour-level victory on grass, a total bettered among current players only by Federer, who has 151 wins to his name. “He came up with some great passing shots”.
Tsonga fought back, and fans groaned as Murray faltered and stuttered in the topsy-turvy encounter.
“He played extremely well”.
“Well, it’s definitely tough for me to go first time in the semis, especially in this kind of a match where I’m not playing against a player that is first time in the courts”. Murray certainly seemed a little less sure-footed while he was playing John Millman in the third round after news of Djokovic’s defeat filtered through to him on Centre Court.
The Briton was calling for support from his team and checking his motivational notes at the changeovers as Tsonga launched an impressive fightback in the third and fourth sets.
The way he dug deep to subdue Tsonga’s onslaught spoke volumes for Murray’s refusal to buckle in the face of adversity – a characteristic that shows up in a formidable 23-7 record in matches that have gone the five-set distance.
Murray was becoming increasingly angry with himself and with everything around him. That was part of a four-game run that allowed him to force a final set.
Murray looked positively upon the result and the manner of his performance, underlining how his character was tested by Tsonga’s inspired comeback.
The 2013 champion held on to beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (10), 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-1 on Centre Court, reaching his 20th semifinal at any major tournament.
Andy Murray reacts during his quarter-final match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, yesterday.
Then there was Murray’s remarkable record against French players to consider. It all melted together wonderfully.
“I think it will give me a bit of confidence”.
The world No 2 appeared to be coasting, but Tsonga quickly got himself together at the start of the third set. “If you’re in that position in the next couple of matches, you know you’ve been there”.
“The end of the fourth set was really tough”, Murray said. That first set was a tough one to lose.
“But the trick is to keep that up, to maintain that level for the whole two weeks”. At one point, you’re used to it. It’s not like, Oh, my God, all of a sudden there’s a match point, all of a sudden there’s a breakpoint to save.
“We’ve never played on grass before, so I’ll have to have a look and see some of his matches to get an idea of things he does differently, what his strengths are, maybe some of the things he struggles with a bit”.
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“This determination, based on the work he has done, is a fantastic example to people. But I don’t really know what else to do without it”, he said.
