Novak Djokovic barely got out of second gear as he swept past a subdued Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon, easing into a record 35th Grand Slam final with a whirlwind 6-3 6-4 7-6(4) victory on Friday.
The Serbian is now one win away from a record-equalling eighth title at the grass-court major to match the mark of Roger Federer.
The 21-year-old Sinner, who was aiming to become the youngest man to reach the Wimbledon final since 2007, was outclassed, falling flat on the big occasion and allowing Djokovic to turn the screw at key moments in the contest.
He let break points slip through his fingers, including two set points in the third, while Djokovic was clinical as usual, applying constant pressure on the Italian eighth seed's serve and pouncing on opportunities when they arose.
He wrapped up the match when Sinner dumped a backhand into the net, leaving the Serbian to accept the applause of the Centre Court crowd, who had vociferously backed his opponent throughout, teeing up a final against either top seed Carlos Alcaraz or Russian Daniil Medvedev who play later on Friday.
An 83rd-minute Weverton own goal from a deflected Malo Gusto cross gave Chelsea a nervy 2-1 win over a spirited Palmeiras side in the Club World Cup quarter-finals on Friday.
Women's top seed Aryna Sabalenka fought off inspired home favourite Emma Raducanu in a cauldron-like Centre Court atmosphere to keep her Wimbledon quest on track but it was the end of the road for two other Grand Slam champions on Friday.
India finished day three of the second test on 64-1 to lead England by 244 runs after they dismissed the hosts for 407 in the first innings at Edgbaston on Friday despite Jamie Smith's commanding and unbeaten knock of 184.
There were to be no Fourth of July celebrations for American Madison Keys as she joined the exodus of seeds from Wimbledon with a 6-3 6-3 defeat by 104th-ranked German Laura Siegemund in the third round on Friday.
Prime Minister Luis Montenegro joined members of Diogo Jota’s family for a private wake on Friday in the Liverpool footballer’s hometown in northern Portugal following his death alongside his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in Spain.