WELL, he had to drop a set eventually. But the fact that was all Andy Murray lost yesterday underlines his credentials.

The Beeb were forced to switch The Weakest Link to BBC 2 to accommodate the latter stages of his third-round match because there was no way anyone was going to bid him "goodbye". No-one on Centre Court or on Murray Mound gave a jot about the television schedule. Even Alex Salmond was watching at home and was one of the first to send a congratulatory message after the match. He, like everyone else, was treated to an engrossing display from the British No.1, full of intensity and high-quality tennis.

Having safely navigated his first two matches at this year's tournament, Tommy Haas was always likely to pose the Scot a few tougher questions and he got down to business straight away. The German won the opening six points of the match, taking his first service game to love and hitting winners for the first couple of points on Murray's. But that was as good as it got for the German.

Getting 68% of his first serves in throughout the first set, the British No.1 one was in emphatic form as the match found its momentum. From his first service game onwards, he conceded just six points on his serve as he romped to a 6-4 victory in the opening set.

It was a devastating display of shot-making, finding the angles and the range perfectly. When they reconvened for the second set, he again stole a march on his rival, breaking his serve in the fourth game and looked well on his way to another straight-forward victory. At that stage, Haas was struggling to live with Murray's power and precision on his serve, while the returns were tough to take.

But the German did manage to get a grip, just as it looked like he may never get into the match. Having broken back, he pushed the Scot all the way to a tie-break and, having taken it that far, Haas pulled some incredible tennis out the bag to take it 7-4.

At that stage, Murray's serve had suffered a glitch and, while not quite struggling, the first-serve percentage was less dominant. But it was a problem he soon addressed as he strode on to win the match. It was a impressive show of mental and physical strength as he chased down Haas' shots and chipped away at his self-belief with a series of top-class forehands and backhands down the line. Mixing things up well from the baseline as well as incorporating some of the drops shots he has been criticised for using too often in his first two matches, he was just too well-rounded a player and too dogged a competitor for a man who was competing in his tenth Wimbledon.

However, the pair do have a history and it is one which involves little yielding. Having met on two previous occasions at the Masters event in Indian Wells, honours were even. While Murray won the first with a display which saw him overcome an on-court tumble and still defeat the former World No.2, he lost last year's rematch. Both went to three sets.

On the early evidence yesterday, Murray was never going to be edged to the limits this time and, having regrouped after the second set, he scooted through the next two sets, winning them 6-3, 6-2 and driving Haas to distraction. Having been broken yet again, in the fifth game of the fourth set, the frustration at his own double fault and overall helplessness in the face of Murray's controlled aggression got too much for him and he leathered the ball out of the stadium and earned himself a warning.

"Overall I think I gave a very good performance," said Murray. "I got broken only once in the match and that was due to a slight loss in concentration but apart from that I felt like I was always in control of the sets."

Concentration was key and something he was proud of. "I think a lot of my frustrations in the past came from poor concentration. I think because I spent so much time at the courts and around tennis, my mind got a little bit tired. Now I'm spending less time around the courts or watching tennis on TV, I have more of a life outside tennis and that makes a difference. I'm enjoying myself when I'm on court now. I recovered well from losing the second set because it was a set I felt I deserved to win and I think that was the thing that pleased me most out there, when I got myself in front in the third set, I didn't let the same thing happen twice."

Next up is Richard Gasquet, who reached the final four at Wimbledon last year. But Murray has garnered confidence from the first week and refuses to settle for a place in the final 16. "I'm not really thinking about reaching the quarter-finals, though, I'm more interested in making it to the final. You know, I feel like I'm better prepared to go deep into the second week. The last time I was in this position (in 2006] I didn't really deal with the second week too well, so I'm going to change a few things. I'm going to practice on Sunday and then just try to relax.

"But obviously he (Gasquet] played well in his first three matches. I think he had a slightly tougher match than expected today but he is a very talented player and he made the semis here last year so I'm going to have to up my game if I want to win."

He certainly wants it and those credentials will be verified by Haas. Having wrapped matters up, and with the euphoric crowd cheering him, Murray was met at the net by a guy who knew he had been beaten by the better player. So did everyone else.