Centre Court holds its breath every time Novak Djokovic steps onto the grass at Wimbledon. On Friday, it exhaled slowly as Jannik Sinner dismantled him — cleanly, completely, and without apology. The Italian world number one won 6-4 6-4 6-4, serving out the final game to love and then walking calmly to the net to embrace the man he had just denied a piece of history. Djokovic had arrived in the semi-final chasing his 25th Grand Slam title, a number that would place him above Margaret Court and make him the most decorated singles player the sport has ever seen.

Instead, he was given almost nothing to work with. Sinner did not concede a single break point until midway through the third set, and when Djokovic finally earned one, an ace erased it instantly. Forty winners against only 15 unforced errors told the full story of how suffocating Sinner's tennis had become. This was Sinner's 99th Grand Slam match win, and arguably his most complete.

He has now beaten Djokovic at this stage in consecutive years at the All England Club, landing 16 aces on the day and not dropping a set since his opening match. "It is the most special tournament we have," Sinner said courtside. "Playing against Novak — he is a huge inspiration for the new generation. I am very happy with this performance.

" Sunday's final against Alexander Zverev, the French Open champion who ended British wildcard Arthur Fery's thrilling run, now awaits.