Jasmine Paolini edged out a tearful Donna Vekic in a thrilling semi-final to become the first Italian to reach a Wimbledon women’s singles final.
In one of the best matches of the tournament, Paolini missed two match points and was 8-7 behind in the 10-point tie-break before recovering to clinch an incredible victory.
The match lasted two hours 51 minutes, making it the longest women’s singles semi-final at Wimbledon, with the Italian winning 2-6 6-4 7-6 (10-8).
Seventh seed Paolini will now face Czech 31st seed Barbora Krejcikova after she claimed a remarkable 3-6 6-3 6-4 comeback victory against Elena Rybakina, the 2022 champion.
It means there will be a new name etched into the Venus Rosewater Dish following Saturday’s final.
Paolini, who had never won a match at this tournament before this year but who has gained huge popularity with her enthusiasm, bubbly personality and incredible shot-making skills, said: “I was serving really bad so I am so happy. This match I will remember forever.
“I was just trying to think about what to do on the court, point by point, because I was really in difficulty.”
Vekic, who was also struggling with an injury to her lower right arm, was seen in tears at the changeover before the tie-break as the match was slipping away from her.
“I thought I was going to die in the third set,” said a tearful Vekic in the post-match news conference. “I had so much pain in my arm, in my leg. It was not easy out there, but I will recover.
“I was more crying because I had so much pain, I didn’t know how I could keep playing. My team tells me I can be proud of myself.
“It’s tough right now. It’s really tough to be positive right now. It was so close.”