He kept us waiting for the best part of 207 minutes of high drama on Centre Court during which nails were bitten, ears assaulted by his language and hearts left fluttering by his sheer courage in the face of a Spanish onslaught that outmatched the Armada but in the end Andy Murray found a way to win.

It was like watching the Murray of yester year, spiky, cross and prone to unforced errors. The difference now is the resolution and intelligence to work out how to break down an opponent with nothing to lose and a serve that sent bullets to all corners of the court.

Not only was Fernando Verdasco sending down first serves at 136 mph his second serve average topped 110 mph - against Murray's more sedate 80 mph. And Verdasco's forehand had the bite, spin and velocity to rival anyone's in the game of tennis.

Murray was the first to say that the 29-year-old Spaniard who had beaten him in the 2009 Australian Open was no pushover. But the Scot had triumphed on all the other eight occasions the pair had met. Verdasco, only the ninth ranked Spanish player, languishes at 59 in the world. But that is somewhat misleading and he has been in the top ten when the mood takes him.

Yesterday for two sets he was virtually unplayable. That, allied to Murray's own admitted shortcomings, especially in the second set, led to the Spaniard sailing to a 6-4, 6-3 advantage. It was time for Murray to rethink his strategy, and for the Centre Court crowd to start to play their part. Thus  far they had been shell shocked into muted support.

Murray started to concentrate, slowed down the points and exacted a huge roar from the 15,000 spectators in this bear pit of an arena as he finally broke the Verdasco serve at 1-0 in the third set. From then on the Spaniard, who never lost his own focus or courage, was fighting on two fronts - Murray and the crowd.

Whenever a lone voice shouted "vamos Fernando" a hundred more responded "vamos Andy" to great amusement. When Murray lost the first set, his first of the tournament, it was to a tame double fault. When the key moments of the deciding set arrived Murray was able to send down a 129 mph aces to finish off his rival. It was if the matador had fatally lanced the bull.

Murray's coach Ivan Lendl may have much to say to Murray today about his tactical shortcomings. But he cannot fault the courage of this Braveheart from Dunblane. He may now live in leafy Surrey but he still has Scottish blood and cussedness running through his veins. The watching Sir Alex Ferguson was ecstatic.
Afterwards Murray, who has now won from two sets to love down on seven occasions, said; "You're concerned you may lose, but when you've been in that position a lot of times you know how to think and not get too far ahead of yourself.

"The more you come back the more you understand the way you need to negotiate the last few sets and I did a good job with that. I hung in well. I didn't rush when I went two sets down. I slowed myself down and that was a good sign. The crowd got behind me and that made a huge difference. If they can be like that from the first point to the last in all of the matches it's huge."

Murray may well need this kind of support when he faces his semi final opponent, the 6ft 8ins Polish giant Jerzy Janowicz who has been serving at speeds of 140 mph during this tournament. He despatched his friend and doubles partner Lukasz Kubot in straight sets winning by 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

It was an emotional win for the Pole who becomes the first male from his country to reach a Grand Slam semi final. Already fellow Pole Agnieszka Radwanska has been in the Wimbledon Final and bids to repeat the feat this afternoon against Germany's Sabine Lisicki.

Janowicz, only 22, represents a real and powerful threat to Murray's bid to reach the Final for a second consecutive year. He thundered down no fewer than 30 aces against his compatriot yesterday with whom he swapped shirts after the emotional conclusion to their match.

He said; "I think that was really, really cool. Lukasz is my Davis Cup mate. I had never played him before and it was the toughest match of my life. It's not easy to control your emotions and I was crying, but right now I am the happiest person in the world. We were fighting for every point but when the match finished we are friends."

Novak Djokovic faced a mini crisis for the first time in this tournament when his tall opponent Tomas Berdych broke his serve twice at the start of the second set to go 3-0 up. But the Czech could not maintain his level and the No 1 seed was soon back on level terms before running out the winner 7-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Djokovic has looked in supreme form and will be a long odds on favourite with the bookies (currently 8-11) if and when he faces Murray in the much anticipated final on Sunday, despite the home grown support for the Scot. The Serb looks at peace with himself and with the world as he secures easy win after easy win.

He said; "I still feel there is room for improvement. That's something that excites me for the future. I am playing some of the best tennis of my life on grass despite the fact that it is not my favoured surface."

It was like the Battle of Wounded Knee on Centre Court in the prequel to the Murray match as Juan-Martin del Potro fell during his opening game against David Ferrer, needing urgent medical attention and strapping to his left leg. For several minutes it looked as if he would be forced to retire.

Earlier Ferrer himself had queried whether he could play after hurting his leg on the practice court. Ferrer is made of strong stuff and the way he flung himself to every corner of the Centre Court belied his injury. Del Potro, too, moved a little gingerly at first but was soon participating fully in warm blooded rallies.

In the end the Argentine's service power and his weight of shot told against the plucky Spaniard who, at 5ft 9ins, is dwarfed by most of his opponents these days. The final point with del Potro stretching wide to his right to pull of a remarkable forehand passing shot ended with the 6ft 8ins giant prostrate but happy on the green, green grass of centre Court.

So how will he cope with a rampant Djokovic in the semi final? "I will need to be 110 per cent against him. He is a former champion here. It's gong to be a more difficult match for me than today. I remember the match during the Olympics (which del Potro won to gain his bronze medal) but this time the pressure is different. I will try to do my best but I will not put my body at risk."

I fear that Del boy will find Djokovic, in his present form, a hurdle too far even if he is fit enough to play. And that remains a big if. It seemes as if Djokovic has a blessed path to the Final.

In the Boy's singles Beverley's Kyle Edmund continued his impressive path to the Final when easily beating fellow Brit Jonny O'Mara 6-3, 6-2. His task was made somewhat easier yesterday when No 1 seed Australia's Nick Kyrgios was easily brushed aside by the Korean Hyeon Chung 6-2, 6-2. Chung, who wears glasses, could be the surprise package of the juniors.