(CNN) -- The feat has not been achieved since 1936 but with every victory, the pressure on Andy Murray to deliver a first British winner of the men's singles at Wimbledon since Fred Perry grows. 

The expectation is always there for any leading British player but with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer having unexpectedly dropped out of his section of the draw, Murray is fancied like never before to finally rewrite history. 

The beaten finalist in 2012, the 26-year-old survived a second set scare to beat Russian 20th seed Mikhail Youzhny 6-4 7-5 (7-5) 6-1 and reach the quarterfinals for the sixth straight year. 

The second seed will meet the unseeded Fernando Verdasco for a place in the semifinals, with the Scot boasting an 8-1 winning record against the Spaniard, who beat Kenny de Schepper in straight sets. 

"It was a tough match," U.S. Open and Olympic champion Murray said later. "The first couple of sets especially -- and he also had a chance at the start of the third. 

"But once I got ahead in the third set, I concentrated really hard not to let him back into the match like I did in the second set." 

The turning point of a contest that lasted two hours and 37 minutes came in the second set when Murray managed to turn around a 2-5 deficit to win on a tie break. 

Youzhny needed treatment on a shoulder injury early in the third set and faded soon after, so allowing the British number one to reach the last eight without dropping a set. 
What sport is this article about?
Wimbledon since Fred Perry grows