Andy Murray hopes to benefit from five-set marathon with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Andy Murray hopes surviving a five-set examination from Jo-Wilfried Tsonga can help him go on to claim a second Wimbledon title.

The world number two looked set for another comfortable outing on Centre Court when he took the first two sets of their quarter-final but Tsonga fought back to level only for Murray to prevail 7-6 (12/10) 6-1 3-6 4-6 6-1 after three hours and 53 minutes.

Murray has made a habit of fighting back from two sets down but this time it was Tsonga threatening to do the improbable.

Yet Murray has only ever lost once having won the first two sets and, after telling his box he was not going to lose this one, he delivered superbly to set up a last-four clash with Tomas Berdych.

The Scot said: "I was definitely tested a lot today. This was a really hard, hard match to come through.

"I think it can give you a bit of confidence. It can help to go through games and stages in matches that are challenging. If you're in that position in the next couple of matches, you know you've been there.

"So I'm hoping it helps me the next couple of rounds."

The crunch moments arrived at the start of the fifth set.

Tsonga had played superbly to win four games in a row to finish the fourth, hitting his serve with power and accuracy, thumping his forehand and finding unexpected winners off his supposedly weaker backhand wing.

Murray's frustration was evident as he screamed at himself and his box - despite the supposedly calming presence of Ivan Lendl.

He saved a break point in the opening game as Tsonga threatened again and then mouthed at his box: "No way I'm going to lose this match.''

It quickly became clear he would keep that promise, reeling off five games in a row and then clinching victory with his 14th ace.

Murray's record in five-set matches is terrific, and the Scot said: "I just want to win. That's it.

"It was frustrating, for sure. He came up with some great shots. I just really wanted to win. The best way to do that is to fight for every point, give your best effort. I did that today."

Murray had barely had a dip in four matches and, after Roger Federer's epic comeback to beat Marin Cilic earlier on Centre Court, went into the match as the only player left in the men's draw not to have dropped a set.

That record came under serious scrutiny in the opening set. Tsonga started nervously but retrieved an early break and looked poised to take the set when he led 6-4 in the tie-break.

But Murray came up with an ace and a stunning return off a 129 miles per hour serve before taking his fourth chance.

It was a punch to the guts for Tsonga, and he switched off in the second set, which Murray race through in only 26 minutes.

But breaking serve early in the third gave the 12th seed belief that a comeback to rival the one he managed against Roger Federer at the same stage in 2011 was possible.

Murray then opened up a 4-2 lead in the fourth set only to lose four games in a row, but crucially he dug in at the start of the decider.

"If I managed to get ahead in the third, I think maybe it could have been a bit different,'' said Murray.

"But after that Jo played great. He was serving well. He was returning very well, I think. He was mixing the pace up, playing with a lot of variety, coming forward, hitting his forehand big. He came up with some great passing shots."

Murray has won 23 of the 30 five-set matches he has played, with four of his defeats coming when he was a teenager.

Since then, he has won 19 of 22 matches that have gone the distance, only losing to Novak Djokovic twice and Fernando Verdasco once.

Murray said: "There's many things that go into winning matches like that. There's not one thing that's more important than another.

"Physically, you're strong, that helps for sure. But mentally, today was a tough match. It would have been easy to have got very down on myself in that fifth set after the way the fourth set ended. I was happy (that I didn't).

"Then you also have to be able to play good tennis in the most important moments. I think both of us did that.''

Murray has to cope, of course, not just with his own expectations but the hopes of Britain, which have been sky high since the elimination of Novak Djokovic.

Amid political and economic uncertainty and the end of Wales' Euro 2016 run, Murray was told by a reporter he was the nation's last hope.

"It's not that bad, is it,'' he said with a smile.

"There's a lot more hopes left than me. I just try my best at this event to make all the people that watch happy. Hopefully I can win a couple more.''

Tsonga was not too hard on himself, saying: "The finish line was far tonight. I came back strong in the third and fourth, but I didn't play well in the fifth. Andy was a little better than me in this last set.''

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