Andy Murray into Wimbledon semis after five set battle

Andy Murray, the British number one, came through in a match which saw him go two sets down before mounting a dramatic comeback.

The tie had looked straightforward with Murray seeded number two at this year’s Wimbledon, with an eight-to-one head-to-head record against the unseeded Verdasco, ranked 54th in the world.

Watched by former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and recently retired Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King, Murray struggled against his opponent’s left-handed serve.

I came through an incredibly tough match – I found a way to get through it and that’s all you need. Andy Murray

After losing the first set on a break, early in the second set Murray broke Verdasco. But the Spaniard broke back with Murray going on to lose another service game. Verdasco went on to win the second set.

After giving himself a stern talking to as the third set began, Murray came out of the block to race to a 6-1 win. He won the fourth 6-4 before a tense fifth-set decider which he finally clinched 7-5.

Wimbledon’s “Henman Hill”, renamed “Murray Mount”, erupted with delight as Murray went through to his fifth consecutive semi final at the All England Championships.

“I came through an incredibly tough match – I found a way to get through it and that’s all you need,” Murray said.

He next plays hotly-tipped newcomer Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz who beat his compatriot Lukasz Kubot.

Top seed Novak Djokovic is also through after sweeping aside Czech opponent Tomas Berdych in straight sets.

The Serb will face eighth seed Martin del Potro in the semi finals after the Argentine overcame a fall early in the match to beat Spain’s David Ferrer.