<p>Andy Murray put the home fans through the wringer as he came back from two sets down to book a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals with an edgy 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 win over unseeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco on Wednesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Murray's hopes of ending Britain's 77-year wait for a men's Wimbledon champion were on the verge of being shredded as he found himself playing catch-up while looking jaded and uncomfortable on court.<br /><br />The 54th-ranked Verdasco put pressure on Murray's vulnerable second serve and came up with a series of rasping winners to force the U.S. Open champion deeper behind the baseline.<br />Yet with the match slipping out of his grasp, Murray muscled his way back into the encounter, taking the third and fourth sets as Verdasco's level dropped and then grabbed a decisive break in the 11th game of the fifth.<br /><br />He wrapped up the match after three hours and 27 minutes when Verdasco sent a forehand long.<br /><br />Del Potro tames Ferrer<br /><br />Argentine Juan Martin del Potro recovered from a horrible early fall to overpower David Ferrer 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) and reach the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time.<br /><br />The towering eighth seed said he had been on the verge of pulling out when he injured his already-bandaged left knee after skidding on the fifth point of the match and crashing down in a heap.<br /><br />But after lengthy treatment and a pain-killing pill the 24-year-old former US Open champion returned to the court to produce one of the best displays of his career.<br /><br />Using his condor-like wingspan to make up for any lack of movement, Del Potro unfolded his right arm to deliver a barrage of mighty serves and thumping forehands.<br /><br />His forehand was unplayable at times and it was fitting that he finally broke the dogged resistance of fourth seed Ferrer with his 22nd clean winner from that flank.<br /><br />Novak Djokovic showcased his full catalogue of acrobatic skills and on-court nous as he broke down the defences of Czech Tomas Berdych to reach his 13th successive Grand Slam semifinal with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-3 win.<br /><br />The Serbian World No 1 performed the splits and pulled off lunging volleys as Berdych tried to throw him off balance by bombarding the 2011 champion’s half of the court with an onslaught of winners.<br /><br />However, Djokovic kept his wits about him even when he trailed by two breaks and was 3-0 down in the second set. Berdych surrendered the set when he slapped an easy forehand into the net and from then there was only one winner.<br /><br />Djokovic sealed the win when the Czech seventh seed smacked a forehand into the net and he will meet Del Potro for a place in Sunday's final. <br /><br />“It was the same thing as my third-round match,” Del Potro, who injured his knee when falling on Saturday against Grega Zemlja, told the BBC.<br /><br />“I was very close (to pulling out) because I felt a lot of pain in the beginning of the match, it was exactly the same like I did before. I twisted my knee once again and the doctor gave me some magic pills and I could finish the match.”<br /><br />Del Potro’s medical team will work overtime to patch him up for a semifinal against Djokovic on Friday. “I think it’s going to be dangerous if I'm not careful in the next few days,” he said. <br />All eyes were on Del Potro’s movement in the opening few games and he looked far from mobile as Ferrer tried to stretch him wide, particularly on the backhand side.<br /><br />Forced to take the initiative to avoid getting the runaround by the relentless Ferrer, who will become World No 3 on Monday, Del Potro began unleashing thunderous forehands to leave the Spaniard floundering.<br /><br />Results<br /><br />Quarterfinals: Men’s singles: 2-Andy Murray (Bri) bt Fernando Verdasco (Esp) 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5; 24-Jerzy Janowicz (Pol) bt Lukasz Kubot (Pol) 7-5, 6-4, 6-4; 1-Novak Djokovic (Srb) bt 7-Tomas Berdych (Cze) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-3; 8-Juan Martin Del Potro (Arg) bt 4-David Ferrer (Esp) 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).</p>
<p>Andy Murray put the home fans through the wringer as he came back from two sets down to book a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals with an edgy 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 win over unseeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco on Wednesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Murray's hopes of ending Britain's 77-year wait for a men's Wimbledon champion were on the verge of being shredded as he found himself playing catch-up while looking jaded and uncomfortable on court.<br /><br />The 54th-ranked Verdasco put pressure on Murray's vulnerable second serve and came up with a series of rasping winners to force the U.S. Open champion deeper behind the baseline.<br />Yet with the match slipping out of his grasp, Murray muscled his way back into the encounter, taking the third and fourth sets as Verdasco's level dropped and then grabbed a decisive break in the 11th game of the fifth.<br /><br />He wrapped up the match after three hours and 27 minutes when Verdasco sent a forehand long.<br /><br />Del Potro tames Ferrer<br /><br />Argentine Juan Martin del Potro recovered from a horrible early fall to overpower David Ferrer 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) and reach the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time.<br /><br />The towering eighth seed said he had been on the verge of pulling out when he injured his already-bandaged left knee after skidding on the fifth point of the match and crashing down in a heap.<br /><br />But after lengthy treatment and a pain-killing pill the 24-year-old former US Open champion returned to the court to produce one of the best displays of his career.<br /><br />Using his condor-like wingspan to make up for any lack of movement, Del Potro unfolded his right arm to deliver a barrage of mighty serves and thumping forehands.<br /><br />His forehand was unplayable at times and it was fitting that he finally broke the dogged resistance of fourth seed Ferrer with his 22nd clean winner from that flank.<br /><br />Novak Djokovic showcased his full catalogue of acrobatic skills and on-court nous as he broke down the defences of Czech Tomas Berdych to reach his 13th successive Grand Slam semifinal with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-3 win.<br /><br />The Serbian World No 1 performed the splits and pulled off lunging volleys as Berdych tried to throw him off balance by bombarding the 2011 champion’s half of the court with an onslaught of winners.<br /><br />However, Djokovic kept his wits about him even when he trailed by two breaks and was 3-0 down in the second set. Berdych surrendered the set when he slapped an easy forehand into the net and from then there was only one winner.<br /><br />Djokovic sealed the win when the Czech seventh seed smacked a forehand into the net and he will meet Del Potro for a place in Sunday's final. <br /><br />“It was the same thing as my third-round match,” Del Potro, who injured his knee when falling on Saturday against Grega Zemlja, told the BBC.<br /><br />“I was very close (to pulling out) because I felt a lot of pain in the beginning of the match, it was exactly the same like I did before. I twisted my knee once again and the doctor gave me some magic pills and I could finish the match.”<br /><br />Del Potro’s medical team will work overtime to patch him up for a semifinal against Djokovic on Friday. “I think it’s going to be dangerous if I'm not careful in the next few days,” he said. <br />All eyes were on Del Potro’s movement in the opening few games and he looked far from mobile as Ferrer tried to stretch him wide, particularly on the backhand side.<br /><br />Forced to take the initiative to avoid getting the runaround by the relentless Ferrer, who will become World No 3 on Monday, Del Potro began unleashing thunderous forehands to leave the Spaniard floundering.<br /><br />Results<br /><br />Quarterfinals: Men’s singles: 2-Andy Murray (Bri) bt Fernando Verdasco (Esp) 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-5; 24-Jerzy Janowicz (Pol) bt Lukasz Kubot (Pol) 7-5, 6-4, 6-4; 1-Novak Djokovic (Srb) bt 7-Tomas Berdych (Cze) 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-3; 8-Juan Martin Del Potro (Arg) bt 4-David Ferrer (Esp) 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).</p>