Tennis: Britain has a Wimbledon men's finalist for the first time since 74 years ago, but Andy Murray must recover from the emotion of a dramatic finalé to his semi-final against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga this evening in time to end an even longer wait against six-time champion Roger Federer on Sunday.
Bunny Austin was the last British finalist in 1938, but it's Fred Perry's victory of 1936 that Murray wants to emulate, though sentimentality won't wash with Federer. The Swiss is preparing for his eighth Wimbledon showpiece after a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over defending champion Novak Djokovic on Centre Court earlier today.
Murray is entering uncharted territory but will surely do so with confidence after an impressive 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win against his French opponent.
The Scot served brilliantly in the first two sets and took a firm grip on the game before allowing Tsonga a glimpse of hope with a nervy third. However, he recovered in the fourth set and his final crossing shot was only confirmed as the winner after Hawk-Eye showed it shaved the line, having initially been called out.
"I knew it was in, I thought he challenged, they said it was called out so I challenged," Murray said on BBC 1 afterwards. "I had started the match really well, served well, but he came back, started serving better and hit some great volleys. I did well to hang in because he started to play really well."
Murray began confidently and aggressively, and made the best possible start with a break in Tsonga's first service game, nailing a backhand down the line.
The Frenchman had started slowly but he began to find his form and forced Murray to save two break points in the fifth game, which he did with aplomb and then fired down two aces to move 4-1 ahead. And he held his advantage to take the set, bringing up set point with a crunching forehand down the line and then clinching it with a simple winner.
At that stage, it was a far cry from the extreme tension of Murray's four-hour win over David Ferrer on Wednesday, let alone his previous semi-finals here against Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal.
The fourth seed's serve, such a weapon all fortnight, was again proving a reliable ally, and he was also getting plenty of balls back in play off the Tsonga delivery. The Frenchman's serve had only been broken four times in the tournament before this match, but Murray got his reward for more excellent play in the fifth game of the second set, moving 3-2 ahead when Tsonga drilled a forehand wide, and once again a single break was enough.
The statistics showed just what a superb performance it had been from Murray. In the first two sets, he hit 21 winners and made only four unforced errors, while Tsonga won just two points against serve in the whole of the second set.
It was all too easy, this was a Wimbledon semi-final after all, and victory seemed a little further away when Murray's level dropped for the first time in the second game of the third set and Tsonga broke to love. The 27-year-old was throwing everything he had at Murray, and, although he missed a chance to move 4-0 ahead, his serve was working very well now and he denied his opponent a break back.
Murray had lifted his game again but the damage was already done and Tsonga took the set despite being momentarily felled by a shot from his opponent drilled right into a delicate area.
A shout of "new balls please" from someone in the crowd caused much mirth, although Tsonga was not laughing. The start of the fourth set was huge for both players, and it was Murray who made the first move, breaking for a 3-1 lead and moving to within touching distance of the final.
Tsonga was not done yet, though, playing some stunning points to break back immediately. He was the last Frenchman to beat Murray at a grand slam, in the first round of the Australian Open in 2008 when he went on to reach his first grand slam final, but a second final remained a long way off.
Murray had two points for a 5-3 lead when his opponent, who had volleyed so well, dumped a regulation ball in the net.
The Scot could not capitalis, though, twice ending up on the grass, first through a slip and then a diving volley that landed wide. It was a big chance, and he knew it. Suddenly he looked tight, and Tsonga brought up two break points of his own.
The fourth seed was not helped by a poor line call on a big first serve but his opponent charitably blazed two shots over the baseline and again Murray held on. The winners had dried up, but Murray piled on the pressure with Tsonga serving at 6-5 behind, moving to love-30, and soon he had two match points when the Frenchman netted a volley.
There was a deafening roar inside Centre Court, and Murray looked to have taken his chance with a brilliant forehand return. Dramatically, it was called out, but Hawk-Eye corrected that and Murray, almost overcome with emotion, looked up at the sky as he took in his achievement.
The weight of history also weighs heavily on Federer. He will have his own pressures on Sunday as he looks to reclaim the world number one ranking with victory in his eighth final at the All England Club, while his record against Murray is patchy at best.
“There’s obviously a lot on the line for me, in terms of winning here, the all-time Grand Slam record and world number one, so I’m also going into that match with pressure, but I’m excited about it, that’s what I’m here for and I hope I can play a good match on Sunday.”