Perhaps there had not been enough drama in Andy Murray’s life over the previous two days for his liking but yesterday the first two sets of his French Open quarter-final with Richard Gasquet more than made up for it.

Having led 5-2 in each set, he somehow squandered the first and then trailed 3-1 in the tiebreak to the mercurial Frenchman, before ripping through a few gears in an instance to level the match and then run away with the third and fourth sets.

His 5-7, 7-6, 6-0, 6-2 victory, completed amid grey, but thankfully rain-free skies, was stressful but eventually rewarding as he wore down Gasquet to reach the semi-finals for the third straight year.

It is the fourth French Open semi-final of his career and his 19th career grand slam semi-final, a remarkable record which puts him joint-eighth in the all-time list.

They are all records of which Murray is rightly proud of but he is here for one reason, to win the tournament, something he outlined from day one and reiterated yesterday after a victory that took three hours, 23 minutes.

“I believe I can win the event,” said Murray, who plays defending champion Stan Wawrinka tomorrow. “Whether I do or not, you know, we'll have to wait and see.

“But I believe it's possible and only a couple of matches away now. I just have to give everything I've got the next few days.”

For a couple of sets, Gasquet, who was appearing in the quarter-finals for the first time, a sorry return on his undoubted talent, looked set to ruin the script, in front of his home fans.

Having dominated as he led 5-2 in the opener, crunching forehands in especially impressive fashion, Murray lost his touch on the drop shot and Gasquet sensed his chance.

The Frenchman began to unwind with his famed one-handed backhand and Murray, unable to dictate, was forced on the defensive.

Momentum took Gasquet all the way to the first set and when he again hit back from 5-2 down in the second to level at 5-5, Murray must have been wondering if he was going to do it again.

But Murray’s mental strength is what separates him from almost everyone else out there and a brave hold for 6-5, from 0-30, settled him down before six points in a row from 3-1 down in the tiebreak turned things around.

“I was creating a lot of chances and wasn't taking them,” he said, frustrations that were clearly audible at times as his on-court mutterings went up a few levels.

“That stretch of five or six points was huge from 3-1. I served a double-fault at 2-1 in the tiebreak and then my next two serves were aces.

“I got a good contact on a return at 3-all and I remember at 3-2 I hit a drop shot and he had a backhand which hit the tape. Those points there changed the match.”

Murray then broke serve in the opening game of the third set and though he felt he overplayed the drop shot, as he ripped through the third and fourth sets, the running he had forced Gasquet to do in the first two paid dividends.

“In the end, physically I think he was struggling,” Murray said. “I don't know if, in a way, the drop shots kind of worked in the long term.

“I wasn't getting loads of success sort of towards the end of the (first two) sets. But I don't know if, in the long run, that made it tougher physically because he was having to run for a lot of them.”

Murray and Wawrinka, who beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas of Spain, 6-1, 6-2, 7-6, will now have a day off while world No.1 Novak Djokovic has to play his quarter-final against Tomas Berdych, who crushed David Ferrer in straight sets.

Djokovic finished off his fourth-round match with Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in four sets and with his quarter-final to play today, he is at a clear disadvantage, should the tournament finish on Sunday, as scheduled.

The Serb, trying to win the title for the first time, did not seem too concerned and Murray said he had not given the luck of the draw much thought.

“Obviously the weather has been challenging the last few days for everyone involved and especially the players in the top half it's been tricky, for sure,” he said.

“But you have got to just try and concentrate on yourself. Right now tennis players during these events have to be selfish and look at their own matches and try their best to get through them.”

The young Austrian, Dominic Thiem, will meet Belgium’s David Goffin in the other quarter-final while on the women’s side, Serena Williams is playing catch-up.

The world No 1 and defending champion crushed Elena Svitolina 6-1, 6-1 yesterday to set up a quarter-final against Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan, while Holland’s Kiki Bertens will take on Timea Bacsinsky of Switzerland in the last eight.

But fourth seed Garbine Muguruza and former runner-up Sam Stosur, who won through to the semi-finals yesterday, can relax while Williams and Co. battle it out.