Pushed to the limit: Andy Murray edges past American Steve Johnson into men’s semi-finals

Defending Olympic champion Andy Murray reached the semi-finals of the men’s tennis on Friday after winning a third-set tiebreak to scrape through a testing encounter against American Steve Johnson.

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Great Britain’s Andy Murray celebrates defeating Steve Johnson of the United States on Friday during the men’s tennis competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo: AP

Published: 3:15am, 13 Aug 2016Updated: 7:26am, 13 Aug 2016

Defending Olympic champion Andy Murray reached the semi-finals of the men’s tennis on Friday after winning a third-set tiebreak to scrape through a testing encounter against American Steve Johnson.

Britain’s Murray, the world number two, edged into the last four 6-0 4-6 7-6(2) but was pushed to the limit by the 22nd-ranked Johnson, who came back to win the second set after being brushed aside in the first.

WATCH: golden moments on Day 6 at the Rio Olympics

The players traded service breaks and blazing passing shots in the final set, but Murray showed steady nerves to win the tiebreak, closing out the match with a deftly placed overhead smash.

Steve Johnson hits a return to Andy Murray at Rio’s Olympic Tennis Centre. Photo: EPA

Murray will face the winner of a match later on Friday between Japan’s Kei Nishikori and Gael Monfils of France.

In the first women’s semi-final of the Games, Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig beat Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic for a spot in the gold medal match.