diff --git a/sanic_testing/testing.py b/sanic_testing/testing.py
index c78d40e..fe3d6cd 100644
--- a/sanic_testing/testing.py
+++ b/sanic_testing/testing.py
@@ -345,6 +345,11 @@ def __init__(
 
         self.gather_request = True
         self.last_request = None
+        self._server_is_running = False
+
+    @property
+    def server_is_running(self):
+        return self._server_is_running
 
     def _collect_request(self, request):
         if self.gather_request:
@@ -360,13 +365,7 @@ def _start_test_mode(cls, sanic, *args, **kwargs):
     def _end_test_mode(cls, sanic, *args, **kwargs):
         Sanic.test_mode = False
 
-    async def request(  # type: ignore
-        self, method, url, gather_request=True, *args, **kwargs
-    ) -> typing.Tuple[
-        typing.Optional[Request], typing.Optional[TestingResponse]
-    ]:
-        self.sanic_app.router.reset()
-        self.sanic_app.signal_router.reset()
+    async def run(self):
         await self.sanic_app._startup()  # type: ignore
         await self.sanic_app._server_event("init", "before")
         await self.sanic_app._server_event("init", "after")
@@ -376,6 +375,25 @@ async def request(  # type: ignore
                     self._collect_request
                 )
 
+        self._server_is_running = True
+
+    async def stop(self):
+        await self.sanic_app._server_event("shutdown", "before")
+        await self.sanic_app._server_event("shutdown", "after")
+
+        self._server_is_running = False
+
+    async def request(  # type: ignore
+        self, method, url, gather_request=True, *args, **kwargs
+    ) -> typing.Tuple[
+        typing.Optional[Request], typing.Optional[TestingResponse]
+    ]:
+        stop_after_request = False
+
+        if not self._server_is_running:
+            await self.run()
+            stop_after_request = True
+
         if not url.startswith(
             ("http:", "https:", "ftp:", "ftps://", "//", "ws:", "wss:")
         ):
@@ -391,8 +409,8 @@ async def request(  # type: ignore
         self.gather_request = gather_request
         response = await super().request(method, url, *args, **kwargs)
 
-        await self.sanic_app._server_event("shutdown", "before")
-        await self.sanic_app._server_event("shutdown", "after")
+        if stop_after_request:
+            await self.stop()
 
         response.__class__ = TestingResponse
 
@@ -474,3 +492,9 @@ def __setstate__(self, d):
         # Need to create a new CookieJar when unpickling,
         # because it was killed on Pickle
         self._cookies = httpx.Cookies()
+
+    async def __aenter__(self):
+        await self.run()
+
+    async def __aexit__(self, *args):
+        await self.stop()
diff --git a/tests/test_asgi_client.py b/tests/test_asgi_client.py
index 4f2f8ce..b9c6170 100644
--- a/tests/test_asgi_client.py
+++ b/tests/test_asgi_client.py
@@ -17,6 +17,49 @@ async def test_basic_asgi_client(app, method):
     assert response.content_type == "text/plain; charset=utf-8"
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "method", ["get", "post", "patch", "put", "delete", "options"]
+)
+async def test_asgi_client_as_async_context_manager(app, method):
+    assert app.asgi_client.server_is_running is False
+
+    async with app.asgi_client:
+        assert app.asgi_client.server_is_running is True
+
+        request, response = await getattr(app.asgi_client, method)("/")
+
+        assert isinstance(request, Request)
+        assert response.body == b"foo"
+        assert response.status == 200
+        assert response.content_type == "text/plain; charset=utf-8"
+
+    assert app.asgi_client.server_is_running is False
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "method", ["get", "post", "patch", "put", "delete", "options"]
+)
+async def test_asgi_client_manual_run_and_stop(app, method):
+    assert app.asgi_client.server_is_running is False
+
+    await app.asgi_client.run()
+
+    assert app.asgi_client.server_is_running is True
+
+    request, response = await getattr(app.asgi_client, method)("/")
+
+    assert isinstance(request, Request)
+    assert response.body == b"foo"
+    assert response.status == 200
+    assert response.content_type == "text/plain; charset=utf-8"
+
+    await app.asgi_client.stop()
+
+    assert app.asgi_client.server_is_running is False
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_websocket_route(app):
     ev = asyncio.Event()