Andy Murray cruised through to the Wimbledon semi-finals this afternoon, defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero in straight sets to become the first Briton into the last four since Tim Henman in 2002.

Murray was briefly under pressure at 3-1 down in the second set but took his game to a higher level and brushed aside the 29-year-old former world No 1, a wildcard entry, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2, in one hour and 41 minutes.

The Scot won five straight games at one stage as his opponent crumbled in the face of some powerful serving and consistent shot-making. Murray served 18 aces in the match and soon found his groove after a tepid start.

“There were quite a lot of errors from both of us at the start,” Murray said. "Once I had got that first set I started to settle down and I returned great in the end. I’m going to have a tough match [in the semi-finals] but I feel like I can win if I play well."

The 22-year-old had complained about the humid conditions under Centre Court's roof during his epic victory over Stanislas Wawrinka on Monday night but there was no need to play indoors this afternoon, as Wimbledon bathed in scorching, unbroken sunshine.

Nor was fatigue an issue after Monday night's five-set match given how quickly Murray dispatched the Spaniard. “I’m very happy to come through in straight sets because I had a long one the round before,” Murray said.

“To get to the semi-finals for the first time is nice and I’ll try my best to go further. A semi-final is something I’ve not experienced here before but at the US Open last year I played a semi-final against the number one in the world [Rafael Nadal]."

A capacity crowd, including a number of celebrities and some fans who had queued since Monday night for tickets, cheered their hero to victory.

He will play Andy Roddick, the sixth seed, or Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion, for a place in Sunday's final. No British man has lifted the Wimbledon singles title since Fred Perry in 1936 and Roger Federer, who won in straight sets against Ivo Karlovic earlier in the day, is the odds-on favourite to win the tournament.