Britain’s Cameron Norrie was unable to capitalise on a confident start as Novak Djokovic fought back to reach the Wimbledon men’s singles final.
Norrie, 26, was bidding to become only the fourth Briton to reach the final at the All England Club in the Open era.
But after winning the first set, he lost 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 to the top seed.
Serbia’s Djokovic, going for a fourth consecutive title and a seventh overall, will face Australia’s Nick Kyrgios in Sunday’s final.
The 35-year-old will also bid for a 21st Grand Slam men’s title, which would put him one behind Rafael Nadal’s all-time record.
Spain’s Nadal, 36, was supposed to face Kyrgios in Friday’s second semi-final but withdrew from the match on Thursday because of an abdominal injury.
Now Djokovic has the chance to close the gap again on his enduring rival after ending the hopes of Norrie and a nation.
Norrie, seeded ninth, was the first British player since Johanna Konta in 2017 to reach a Wimbledon singles semi-final and was given partisan backing on Centre Court.
The atmosphere became celebratory as Norrie broke three times to take the opening set, before coming increasingly stifled as Djokovic eventually found his level.
Norrie received a rapturous round of applause as he left the Centre Court, including from Djokovic who stood back and applauded his exit.
“Cameron didn’t have much to lose, he was playing the tournament of his life,” said Djokovic.
“He’s a great player and I have a lot of respect for him.
“Cameron was dominating the play and I got lucky to break his serve in the second set.
“He gifted me a game and from then I think momentum shifted.”
