Novak Djokovic barely got out of second gear as he swept past a subdued Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon, easing into a record 35th Grand Slam final with a whirlwind 6-3 6-4 7-6(4) victory on Friday.
The Serbian is now one win away from a record-equalling eighth title at the grass-court major to match the mark of Roger Federer.
The 21-year-old Sinner, who was aiming to become the youngest man to reach the Wimbledon final since 2007, was outclassed, falling flat on the big occasion and allowing Djokovic to turn the screw at key moments in the contest.
He let break points slip through his fingers, including two set points in the third, while Djokovic was clinical as usual, applying constant pressure on the Italian eighth seed's serve and pouncing on opportunities when they arose.
He wrapped up the match when Sinner dumped a backhand into the net, leaving the Serbian to accept the applause of the Centre Court crowd, who had vociferously backed his opponent throughout, teeing up a final against either top seed Carlos Alcaraz or Russian Daniil Medvedev who play later on Friday.
Fourteen-time French Open champion Rafa Nadal said there was still a chance this year's tournament in Paris may not be his last in comments ahead of his tough opener against fourth seed Alexander Zverev.
Outgoing Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez said he was proud of his achievements with the club and was looking forward to being a fan again as he prepares to coach his final game against Sevilla.
World number one Novak Djokovic does not consider himself a favourite ahead of his title defence at the French Open, which begins with a first-round match against local hope Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Sunday.
Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni will miss the Champions League final due to a foot injury and could be a doubt for the European Championship, Real manager Carlo Ancelotti said on Friday.