Wimbledon 2012: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga primed not to be Centre Court favourite in Andy Murray semi-final The fifth seed was in convincing form yesterday as he ground down a resilient Philipp Kohlschreiber in four sets, ultimately prevailing 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 in 2 ½ hours to set up the tantalising last-four confrontation with Murray. His first confrontation with the Scot on grass was staged as long ago as 2004, when Murray was just 17, at an indoor Challenger event in Nottingham. "We played indoors finally because of the good weather," Tsonga said, drily. But the Murray supremacy has since been firmly established between the pair on this surface, first by a four-set triumph here at the All England Club in 2010 and then by a three-set victory in last year's final at Queen's, where Tsonga earned a match point. What unnerves Tsonga about the prospect of facing Murray is the sheer strength of the world No 4"s returning game. "Andy's one of the guys I don't like to play, because he's returning really well and can make some great passing shots," the 28 year-old said. He's quick, and all the time he's on the ball, so it's tough for me. The pressure that Murray will endure Friday in front of a rapt and partisan Centre Court crowd is not lost on Tsonga. After all, he held an opportunity of his own to reach the last four of his home grand slam only last month, but squandered four match points against Novak Djokovic in their French Open quarter-final. "It's difficult for Andy because he's alone," he said. All the eyes are on him. While the received wisdom holds that Murray has his clearest opening yet to move into a Wimbledon final, after the shock first-week exit of Rafael Nadal in his half of the draw, Tsonga knows how to exploit his deficiencies. That much was evident when this lethal server swatted him in four sets at the 2008 Australian Open en route to a first and, to date, solitary appearance in a grand slam final. Tsonga offered a powerful display yesterday to eclipse Kohlschreiber, sending down 17 aces and at one stage reaching 136mph with his serve. His German opponent mustered an instant riposte in the second, stretching him with prolonged rallies and breaking him with a delightful forehand return in the second game. After wrapping up the set 6-4, Tsonga entered further characteristic baseline battles with Kohlschreiber in a cat-and-mouse third set. There were touches of flamboyance, too, not least when he executed a Boris Becker-style dive to try to parry a smash. He resorted to a more conventional bombardment of groundstrokes in the tie-breaker and profited from several forehand errors by his opponent to take it 7-3. The fourth proved more comfortable for Tsonga as his superiority over the 27th seed began to tell. In the eighth game one luscious crosscourt volley was sufficient to ensure his progress. As he reflected upon the moment, Tsonga talked eloquently of second comings. He was deflated, after his rousing recovery to beat Roger Federer in five sets 12 months ago, not to have offered a better demonstration of his talents in the ensuing four-set defeat by Djokovic. But as he surveyed the view as a Wimbledon semi-finalist once more, he indicated his relish at what was to come. "Before I was not consistent enough in my head," he said, acknowledging a flakiness in long matches that he has since erased by dispatching both Kohlschreiber and Mardy Fish in close contests this week. Many times I lost concentration, but now I have turned my head, in the good sense. This is another chance for me. French "Ali" who can be caught in two minds Age 27. Born Le Mans, France. Mother Évelyne is French and father Didier is from Brazzaville, Congo. Height 6ft 2in. World ranking 6. Career titles 8. Best grand slam performance Final, Australian Open, 2008. Best Wimbledon performance Semi-finals, 2011, 2012. Prize money £5,650,955. All-time record v Murray 1-5. Interesting facts Nicknamed "Ali" to reflect his resemblance to Muhammad Ali. His brother Enzo played basketball for Le Mans and his cousin is Aston Villa winger Charles N'Zogbia. Strengths Top-spin-heavy forehand; serve, with its devastating combination of slice and speed. Weaknesses Occasionally he does not seem sure of the style in which he wants to play, failing to commit fully to an attacking approach. Can rely too much on his raw inspiration.