Jasmine Paolini and Donna Vekic made history during what was a pulsating Wimbledon semi-final.
The crowd on Centre Court were treated to a spectacle as both players attempted to reach their first final at the All-England Club.
The pair pushed each other to their absolute limit and there was very little to separate the two players.
In fact, a 10-point final set tiebreak was needed to decide the winner, and it was the Italian who prevailed in a record-breaking match to reach her second successive major final.
Which record did Jasmine Paolini and Donna Vekic break at Wimbledon?
Paolini battled back from a set down to seal a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(8) win and become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2016 to reach the final at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same season.
The contest lasted two hours and 51 minutes which broke the record for the longest women’s semi-final in Wimbledon history.
The Italian found herself on the back foot early on as Vekic took full advantage of her opponent’s struggles on serve to storm through the first set.
But Paolini changed her service return position and began to vary her shots as she broke serve at 5-4 to take the second set.
In the final set she was down a break of serve on two occasions, but once again clawed her way back and even carved out two match points, which were saved by Vekic.
But Paolini raised her level in the final set tiebreak and she clinched the victory on her third match point opportunity when a Vekic forehand sailed wide.
When made aware of the record-breaking semi-final, Paolini said post-match: “I guess it’s normal to be tired! I hope you enjoyed the match because I think it was a really intense match. I tried to play my best and now it’s time to recover as best as possible, as today I think we played three hours or maybe a little bit less.
“But still enough time! I am now going to do ice bath because my legs are a bit tired but I’m so happy to be in the final.”
Jasmine Paolini made history for Italian tennis by reaching the Wimbledon final
Not only did Paolini match a Williams feat and win a record-breaking Wimbledon semi-final, she also made more history for Italian tennis.
The 28-year-old became the first woman from Italy to reach the Wimbledon final in the open era.
“I am so happy with this win. This match, I will remember forever,” Paolini added. “I tried to play my best. Now I have to recover, an ice bath. I am a little bit tired, so happy to be in the final.”
She will return to Centre Court on Saturday where she will face Barbora Krejčíková who stunned Elena Rybakina to reach her first final at SW19.
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