LONDON (Reuters) - Defending champion Novak Djokovic absorbed a barrage of powerful hitting from Canadian Denis Shapovalov to reach his seventh Wimbledon final on Friday with a 7-6(3) 7-5 -7-5 victory that kept the indefatigable Serb on course to write history.
The 34-year-old was eclipsed at times by a 22-year-old opponent who lit up an overcast Centre Court.
But as he almost always does, he responded to adversity with his usual mix of dogged defense and clinical precision to set up a Sunday showdown with Italian Matteo Berrettini.
Tenth seed Shapovalov was bidding to become only the second Canadian man to reach the Wimbledon final and despite producing some scintillating tennis, was left pondering what might have been after failing to crack the toughest nut in the business.