Jasmine Paolini reached the Wimbledon final after a dramatic victory over Donna Vekic.
The diminutive Italian, who until last week had never won a match at SW19, edged a semi-final for the ages 2-6 6-4 7-6 (10/8) after a heart-stopping match tie-break.
Unseeded Vekic, also 28 and playing in her first Grand Slam semi-final, was in tears at times during a deciding set of unimaginable twists and turns.
But it was it was the seventh seed's day as she backed up her surprise run to the French Open final by making it a bellissimo Wimbledon.
“This match, I will remember forever,” the five-foot-four Paolini said.
“I was just trying to think abut what to do on the court, point by point, because I was really in difficulty.”
Paolini is the first woman to reach back-to-back Roland Garros and Wimbledon finals since Serena Williams in 2016.
“I think these last months have been crazy for me,” she added. “I don’t know, I am just trying to focus on what I have to do on court and enjoying what I am doing.
“I love playing tennis. It is a dream. I was watching finals when I was a kid at Wimbledon. I am just enjoying it and trying to live in the present.”
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