Britain's number one Andy Murray maintained his hope of becoming the first British player to win the Wimbledon singles title since Fred Perry in 1936, and the first Scot ever to win a Grand Slam singles title, following an epic win over Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.

Murray was backed by the raucous support of 15 000 home fans, whose cheers were greatly amplified by the closed roof, which witnessed for the first time an official match played under floodlights. The All England Club closed the roof, for the first time, following  Dinara Safina's win over Amelie Mauresmo, when during the match a light shower marred the proceedings. And with the main event of the day well and truly under way, Murray did not appear particularly content with playing indoors, or so it seemed.

Murray lost the first set 2-6, which poured more tension and drama on the stands. He then won two on the trot,  6-3 6-3, and succumbed in the fourth 5-7 only to come back all guns blazing and dispatch his opponent with a 6-3 win in three hours 56 minutes.

Wawrinka was clearly not in the least unnerved when Murray would win a point, although the noise from the partisan crowd, amplified by the confined space, was impressive. The Swiss maintained his composure and displayed some aggressive and powerful play, especially on the base line. The Swiss player, although ranked at 18 in the world, 15 slots behind Murray, was really up for a major fight, against all odds.

"It was pretty special. I thought Stan played a great match," Murray told BBC Sport afterwards. "The standard he set at the start was tough to keep up with.

"He was playing great and he came out with some big shots. In five-set matches there are these momentum shifts sometimes," he said.

"It was great, always when you play indoors the atmosphere is great, but when you've got 15 000 supporters it makes it extra special, so thanks a lot."

Meanwhile the self-deprecating Wawrinka spoke of himself as "the Swiss guy who loses", paying  homage to his illustrious compatriot Roger Federer, five-times champion at Wimbledon.

This five set Wimbledon epic, which finished at 10.38pm, beat the previous All England finishing time of 9.49pm in 2006. With this victory, Murray has secured a quarter-final showdown with Juan Carlos Ferrero.