Tennis: An inspired Rafael Nadal beat Marcos Baghdatis 6-1 7-5 6-3 this evening to set up a dream final against triple Wimbledon champion Roger Federer.
The Spanish second seed, who beat Federer in the French Open final last month, battered his Cypriot opponent to a standstill in front of an enthralled Centre Court crowd.
Baghdatis, 21, was overwhelmed in a 30-minute first set but the second produced a breathtaking battle as the pair contested sublime rallies.
Despite going two sets and then a break down Baghdatis refused to give up, but 20-year-old Nadal would not be denied and he became the first Spanish man to reach the final here since Manuel Santana in 1966, clinching victory in two hours 26 minutes.
Federer had earlier blasted his way into a fourth consecutive Wimbledon final with a 6-2 6-0 6-2 thrashing of Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman.
The triple defending champion destroyed his 34-year-old unseeded opponent in a display of brutal brilliance before a beguiled Centre Court crowd.
Federer won 11 games in a row at one stage of the mismatch with an array of winners from all parts of the court and completed his most comprehensive win of the tournament in only 77 minutes.
