Andy Murray Defeats Juan Carlos Ferrero to Reach Wimbledon Semi-final

The prodigious talents of Andy Murray, which took him to the final of last year's US Open, appeal around the world and to purist and tennis fan alike, and now Wimbledon is being treated to the full spectrum. In truth he was a little muted for a set and a half of his quarter-final against Spain's Juan Carlos Ferrero but once he had adjusted to the slickness of the Centre Court, baked by a fierce sun, he rediscovered that heady mix of the powerful and the subtle to rush the 2003 French Open champion and former world No1 to a 7–5, 6–3, 6–2 defeat.

It was all a far cry from the extended drama of his fourth-round match against Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka, the first played under the multimillion-pound roof, when the conditions were humid and heavy, and the slog to the finishing line was hard and long. Murray badly needed a quick and uncomplicated victory to set up his first ever Wimbledon semi-final, which will now be on Friday against Andy Roddick, twice a Wimbledon runner-up. Murray beat the American in straight sets three years ago in the third round, and has won six of their eight meetings. But this will be for a place in the final, a date with destiny.

"Obviously Roddick is one of the best servers in the game, so I will need to return really well. I was only on for an hour and 45 minutes, so it's not going to take anything out of me physically, and I should be 100% for the next match," said Murray, who may also benefit from the Roddick-Lleyton Hewitt quarter-final going to five sets and lasting 10 minutes short of four hours. At this stage of the tournament every little helps, even a hand-written letter from Cliff Richard.

There were times in the first set when Murray resembled somebody who had risen too early for breakfast after a late night and was struggling not to spill the cornflakes while trying to engage in a meaningful conversation. When he and Ferrero had met in the semi-finals at Queen's last month, the first occasion they had played each other, Murray had stopped the Spaniard in his tracks almost before he had time to draw breath. This time Ferrero was able to make the necessary early adjustments without feeling he was being unduly hustled. It was all rather leisurely and after the high drama of Monday evening, the Centre Court crowd struggled to get involved.

Three Murray forehands low down into the net were a clear indication that he was finding it difficult to shake off any residual fatigue, perhaps more mental than physical. He knew he had defeated Ferrero with consummate ease previously, and although nothing was happening to cause him any great concern, his footwork was a shade slow, and consequently his timing was slightly off. Even so he had a break point in the fourth game when a crisp service return forced a forehand error from the Spaniard. Murray was unable to make hay at this point, though the one aspect of his game that was already working beautifully was his serve.

With a 5-4 lead he slapped his thigh as he waited for Ferrero to serve, a small indication that he was not yet happy with his returns. Two games later the first fracture line appeared in the Spaniard's game when Murray struck a luscious cross-court forehand beyond Ferrero's flailing reach. He recovered when Murray missed a backhand, only to self-destruct a couple of points later with a double fault. It had not been the most riveting of 45 minutes, with too many unforced errors from both players, but Murray had set out the banquet and it seemed the feast was about to begin.

Then came a brief hiatus when Murray lost his serve at the beginning of the second set as a poor volley and an indifferent backhand allowed Ferrero brief hope that his days on the grass might be extended. His grunt, similar to Rafael Nadal (perhaps they have the same voice coach) rose a few decibels as he sensed a wind change. Instead a hurricane blew seemingly from nowhere and rushed him off his feet.

The match had not long passed the one-hour mark when Murray, as if his head had suddenly cleared, began to treat the Spaniard's serve as a plaything. Murray broke to love for 3–3 and then dropped only one more point as he finished off the second set at a romp, including three aces in the last game. "I was hitting my returns a lot harder and starting to read his serve," said Murray. "It happened very, very quickly from there in."

And how time will accelerate now for Murray. At least it is not completely unknown territory, and with the roof in place he will not experience the delays of his New York semi-final against Nadal, which was played across two days of the final weekend because of poor weather, with the final against Roger Federer on the third Monday. Tomorrow he will follow his normal routines of practice, massages, ice bath, food and an early evening for, he hopes, a sound sleep. The dreams are on hold.

Murray is a considerably more talented player than Roddick, the world No6, though the American has much more experience at the sharp end of a slam. "I have won a lot of matches on the grass, but every day I know that I am going to have to perform very well. That gets the nerves and the adrenaline going, and makes me play better," Roddick said.

Tim Henman lost all his four Wimbledon semi-finals. Murray now has a wonderful chance of winning at his first attempt.