Novak Djokovic crushes gallant Frenchman Richard Gasquet to book fourth Wimbledon final

Defending champion Novak Djokovic emphatically booked his place in a fourth Wimbledon final with a clinical 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 6-4 defeat of gallant Frenchman Richard Gasquet yesterday.

Underdog Gasquet offered fans on a sun-baked Centre Court plenty of "oooh-aahh" moments with his trademark single-handed backhand, but there were not enough to really concern the world No 1.

There were a few more unforced errors than normal off the Djokovic racket in a tight first set, but once he cruised through the tiebreak he bolted the door on the 21st seed whose wait for a first grand slam final continues.

In the second and third sets a miserly Djokovic made nine unforced errors and his only slight concern was a stiff shoulder that needed visits from the trainer.

"It was a good performance, considering the occasion. It's always tough. Richard had a great tournament and deserved to be in the semis," said the eight-time grand slam champion. "The first set could have gone his way, luckily it went to me."