Andy Murray falls to Tsonga in Rodgers Cup

Andy Murray reacts after a point against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in the quarterfinals during Rogers Cup. Picture: Getty

The Scot lost a tight opener on the tie-break and appeared set to bow out at the quarter-final stage when he offered up two break points at 4-4 in the second.

He hung tough to save his serve, though, and then broke the Frenchman - conqueror of Novak Djokovic on Thursday - before running away into a 3-0 lead in the decider.

But he inexplicably crumbled, losing five games in a row before slumping to a 7-6 (7/5) 4-6 6-4 loss.

He was visibly frustrated as his chances disappeared in front of him, with Tsonga deserving immense credit for his fightback.

The see-saw nature of the second and third sets was entirely out of keeping with the opener which Tsonga won on a tie-break after 12 consecutive holds of serve. He got ahead in the breaker when Murray hit a forehand long.

The pair traded breaks early in the second set and Murray then looked set for straight-sets exit when he offered up two more break points. He found a way to save them, however, and then broke himself before winning the set to love.

He carried that confidence into the decider and was soon 3-0 ahead as Tsonga got erratic, before the tables turned dramatically.