Elsewhere: Britain’s own Henry Patten and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara are a win away from a second Wimbledon men’s doubles title, after defeating the American-Australian pair of Aleksandar Kovacevic and Thanasi Kokkinakis in two tie-break sets. The mixed doubles final is just getting under way, with Jelena Ostapenko and Marcelo Arevalo facing Australia’s Marc Polmans and Storm Hunter, while Britain’s Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid are in the first set of their wheelchair doubles semi. But it’s time to wrap up this blog now, and get some rest before the absolute absurdity of Arthur Fery in the men’s semi-finals tomorrow. His match against Alexander Zverev is scheduled first on Centre Court, with Jannik Sinner v Novak Djokovic to follow. Daniel and I will see you then. Bye!

Kostyuk, meanwhile, is left to reflect on her second slam semi-final defeat in a month. She tried to fire herself up midway through the second set, but she never really had the momentum in the match. She’s had such a superb summer, nonetheless, winning 21 of her past 23 matches, and I hope she builds on this. It’s taken her a long time to piece her rich talents together and tennis is all the better with her near the top of it.

It’s ridiculous to think Noskova and Muchova hadn’t played on Centre Court until today, and warmed up together on the court before going out and doing what they did in the semi-finals. On Saturday they’ll be facing each other in the final, with a first slam title for both on the line. Muchova, at 29, may never get a better chance, while for Noskova, at 21, this could just be the start of something special. Having been the youngest player inside the top 100 a few years ago, she’s finally fulfilling her tremendous talent.

Noskova is beaming, as I imagine Martina is in the commentary box. “I just tried to be as patient as possible, tried to keep cool and somehow I did the last point,” she says. “I focused on myself, on my game, when I play my best I know I can play with the best players in the world and have a great result, which is a final in a grand slam. I was not watching a lot of tennis as a kid but I do remember when Petra [Kvitova] won here. I’m still in shock I had a chance in my life to play on such a court and get a win. Karolina [Muchova] is such a great player and fighter, but mainly she’s a great person, so I’m glad I get to play my first final against her.”

She’s then asked about her superstitions – “I have so many, I can’t even start to name them. It’s like 20 to 30 things a day; I feel like it is an illness at this point! I’m using the same morning routines, same lunch, same bathroom, same sink” – and it’s certainly been working. We’re guaranteed a third Czech champion in four years after Vondrousova and Krejcikova, it’s the first all-Czech Wimbledon final and it’s the first at any slam since Ivan Lendl defeated Miloslav Mecir at the 1989 Australian Open.

Second set: Kostyuk* 4-6, 4-5 Noskova (*denotes next server)

An accomplished hold from Kostyuk – complete with a forehand winner, well-taken volley and a cute drop shot – but Noskova sees Kostyuk’s hold to 15 and matches it, meaning Kostyuk must hold serve to stay in this semi-final. Otherwise history is about to be made with a first all-Czech Wimbledon final.

Second set: Kostyuk* 4-6, 3-4 Noskova (*denotes next server)

Noskova holds to 15 when Kostyuk charges into her chair when trying to chase down the ball. Not the most graceful move from the 24-year-old, who was a fine gymnast in her youth, shown by the pirouettes she does to celebrate victories. She even did a backflip after winning the Madrid title – but says she’ll only repeat that if she wins a grand slam. Not sure Centre Court has seen one of those before …

From Henman Hill to Arthur’s Seat?

Second set: Kostyuk 4-6, 3-3 Noskova* (*denotes next server)

15-0, 30-0, 40-0, game Kostyuk. They’re all square in the second set and the Ukrainian is right back in this. Credit to Kostyuk, after what happened to her in the Roland Garros semi-finals. She’s such a fine player to watch when she’s in full flow, and hopefully Centre Court will get to see that now.

Kostyuk breaks: Kostyuk 4-6, 2-3 Noskova* (*denotes next server)

Noskova has done such a fine job of neutralising Kostyuk’s ferocious forehand, but Kostyuk does unleash to move to 0-30. Noskova recovers to 40-30, and still hasn’t faced a break point, but she is extended to deuce. Kostyuk desperately needs to step it up here … and she’s fist-pumping with more fire than she’s shown before when Noskova hits long! Kostyuk has her first break point of this semi-final … lands a good backhand cross-court return … and then runs around her backhand to nail an inside-out forehand winner! She’s screaming, her box is screaming and even some members of the exhausted crowd have found enough energy to leap to their feet. Is this game on? Let’s hope so.

Noskova breaks: Kostyuk 4-6, 1-3 Noskova* (*denotes next server)

Noskova has gone slightly under the radar at this Wimbledon – despite winning more singles matches on grass than anyone on tour in the past two years – because she doesn’t have huge grand slam pedigree, having only once reached the quarter-finals of a a major, at the 2024 Australian Open, before this tournament. Not that you’d know that right now, the 21-year-old looks as if the Centre Court is her backyard, as she advances to 0-40 on Kostyuk’s serve. And she breaks to love when Kostyuk clunks her forehand into the net. Kostyuk hammers her racket into her shoe; she needs to wake up quickly, or this semi-final will soon be over.

First set: Kostyuk* 4-6, 1-2 Noskova (*denotes next server)

With Kostyuk serving at 40-0, my computer freezes, as does Kostyuk perhaps, because once the swirling circle of doom disappears it’s 40-15. But Kostyuk holds on the next point. The crowd, perhaps (understandably) exhausted after the first semi-final and the intense heat, still haven’t quite got into this, they could really do with a Kostyuk break to rouse them, but Noskova doesn’t oblige, as she comes through on serve to 15 too.

First set: Kostyuk* 4-6, 0-1 Noskova (*denotes next server)

Kostyuk, after working with a psychologist, has been much more mentally tough this season, having previously been prone to turn a setback into a full-blown crisis. But she was overwhelmed in the French Open semi-finals last month, and will that scar now be itching? She won’t want to hear that Noskova has won 24 out of 25 matches this year when she’s won the first set. And Noskova underlines her superiority by getting the second-set scoreboard moving with a hold to 30.

First set: Kostyuk 4-4 Noskova* (*denotes next server)

Kostyuk’s most straightforward hold so far: 15-0, 30-0, 40-0, game, with a piercing inside-out forehand. She’s the second Ukrainian woman to play in the Wimbledon semi-finals after Elina Svitolina in 2019 and 2023, and she’s looking to become the first to reach the final, amid the testing backdrop of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and a Russian missile hitting close to Kostyuk’s family home earlier this summer. She seems to have a healthy perspective on tennis as a result; of course she wants to win, but she knows her country is going through something much bigger.

First set: Kostyuk* 3-4 Noskova (*denotes next server)

Kostyuk has already won three times as many games as she did in the first set of her French Open semi-final defeat by Mirra Andreeva last month. She’s looking far more assured, despite constantly glancing at her coach Sandra Zaniewska, and is pushing on the Noskova serve at 40-30, but errs with her forehand before running for the shade of an umbrella and ice towel. Plus an energy gel and banana for good measure too.

More on the Evert and Navratilova documentary I was talking about:

First set: Kostyuk 3-3 Noskova* (*denotes next server)

Kostyuk hasn’t held the serving authority she did against Paolini, but she saves the first break point of the semi-final at 30-40 with a timely first ace. Kostyuk then pulls off a one-two punch straight out of the tennis textbook to move to advantage … but then races forward to the short ball and inexplicably nets! Ace No 2 gets her back to advantage … but another error follows. Kostyuk gets the job done on the next two points, and she’s c’moning loudly.

First set: Kostyuk* 2-3 Noskova (*denotes next server)

Another deuce game. “It’s hot,” says Martina Navratilova on the commentary, somewhat stating the obvious. Alas, Chris Evert isn’t with Navratilova and the BBC at this Wimbledon as she undergoes treatment for ovarian cancer for the third time. Have any of you watched the new documentary on Navratilova and Evert, btw? I haven’t yet, though it’s supposed to be brilliant. There aren’t many other sportspeople who shared a rivalry that was as strong as their friendship. Federer and Nadal comes to mind. And Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. And Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. There’s an idea for a Joy of Six if we haven’t already done it. But back to the matter at hand: Noskova holds after a third deuce, but no break points. There still hasn’t been one of those.

First set: Kostyuk 2-2 Noskova* (*denotes next server)

Kostyuk, having not faced a single break point against Paolini, is in danger of sliding BP down at 30-all, but is saved when Noskova nets. Noskova then drags Kostyuk back from 40-30 to deuce, and from Kostyuk’s advantage to deuce, but Kostyuk claims the game from her third game point. And some obligatory style notes: Kostyuk, who’s given Naomi Osaka a run for her money as the best-dressed player at this year’s Wimbledon, is once again wearing the beautiful lace dress inspired by her own wedding gown. Noskova has gone for a more no-nonsense number.

First set: Kostyuk* 1-2 Noskova (*denotes next server)

Noskova and Kostyuk start where they finished off in their quarter-finals (Kostyuk was SO impressive against Jasmine Paolini, hitting the 2024 runner-up off the court), with a hold to 15 apiece, before Noskova betters that with a hold to love.

Also going on:

These two, like Muchova and Gauff, are playing in their first Wimbledon semi-final and have met each other only once before, with Kostyuk winning on the Madrid clay in May, when the Ukrainian lifted the title on her way to building a streak of 21 wins in 22 matches this summer. The grass, though, should help Noskova. This will be first-strike tennis between two huge hitters; I wouldn’t want to be a ball in this one. But I think the match is on Kostyuk’s racket, because of her superior athleticism. Can she handle the occasion though? She didn’t in the French Open semi-finals last month, when she was soundly beaten by the eventual champion Mirra Andreeva, and the 21-year-old Noskova is good enough to take advantage if she freezes again (despite a current temperature of about 33C).

Right I’m back and I’ve fuelled myself up with coffee to get through the second semi-final – just in case I don’t already have enough adrenaline after that tie-break. Kostyuk and Noskova are in attendance too, having stepped on to Centre Court a few minutes ago, but the spectators haven’t yet reappeared. The stands are virtually empty.

What a semi-final. The first sets were 6-2 and 6-1 … and this could still go down as the match of the tournament. That third-set tussle took longer than those two combined, with Muchova overcoming the pressure and pain to prevail and reach her second slam final, after the 2023 French Open, when she lost to Iga Swiatek. The difference this time is she won’t be facing a top seed, but Noskova or Kostyuk; at 29, she knows she may never get a better chance.

Muchova, somehow, is still able to speak. “Honestly it was such a big fight, a rollercoaster, match point down, I don’t even know what I’m saying. I’m shaking, but I’m good. The atmosphere here was indescribable. Not many players get to play on this court. It’s incredible. I actually came and warmed up with Linda [Noskova, her fellow Czech who plays in the second semi-final against Marta Kostyuk], so I took a photo. This court is beautiful.”

Yes, Muchova’s win means we could have a first ever all-Czech final and a sixth Czech-born women’s winner, following on from Navratilova, Novotna, Kvitova, Vondrousova and Krejcikova. Czech players + grass really = the perfect combination.

… now Gauff slips, but Muchova was already on top in the point, and the Czech has a second MP at 11-10 …

… Muchova serves, Gauff chops back the return … Muchova volleys … Gauff just about gets it back … and OH MY DAYS! MUCHOVA SLIPS! 10-10 …

… this time Gauff does better at the net, but Muchova, under the most intense of pressure, magics a marvellous lob and now she has her first MP at 10-9 …!

… so Gauff, serving at 9-8, has match point … it’s on her racket and she skips forward to rattle away a surely unmissable forehand … but INSTEAD SHE OPTS FOR A DROP SHOT AND NETS! P-R-E-S-S-U-R-E! And. They. Go. On. At. 9-9 …

… so it’s 8-8, who will get a first match point? And just to add to the drama, Muchova is given a time violation! The Czech, perhaps distracted, nets her first serve, aborts her ball toss on the second before ballooning beyond the baseline once more …!

… Muchova, leading 8-7, has the next two points on her serve, so could finally get this done, but nothing about this neverending third set has been remotely straightforward and Muchova goes long …!

… Muchova edges ahead for 7-6, an unreturned serve gets Gauff back to 7-7 but Gauff can’t move ahead for the first time in this breaker, as she hits only her second double faults at the most inopportune of moments … !

… another Muchova shot hits the tape, but this one doesn’t land in, and from Muchova leading 4-1, they’re level at 6-6 – AND I DON’T KNOW HOW THEY’RE STILL DOING THIS BECAUSE I CAN BARELY TYPE BECAUSE OF THE TENSION …

… Gauff can’t afford to concede the next two points on her serve, and she executes the perfect pass, before refusing to be distracted by Muchova’s shot clipping the tape as she reduces her arrears to 6-5 … they’ve saved the best in this match until the very last …

… which is soon 4-3. As this is the final set, it’s the first to 10 points, by the way, not seven … and Muchova is a heap on the grass after the next point, despite it going her way, as she dives Boris Becker-style to make a winning volley, and it’s 5-3 … make that 6-3 after another punchy serve, she’s found her first serve when it matters …

… she’s still grimacing between points, though, and even more so when Gauff somehow steals the point despite the cutest of drop shots from Muchova! They change ends at 4-2 …

… and outrageous serve-volley from Muchova backs up that mini break, and then she slams down one of her fastest serves of the match, 113mph, for 4-1!

After all of the injury problems Muchova has had throughout her career, it would be a huge shame if this is decided by another injury. Muchova claims the first mini-break, though, for 2-1, when Gauff, after a near-flawless performance at the net in this set, errs with her backhand volley …

Third set: Muchova* 6-2, 1-6, 6-6 Gauff (*denotes next server)

Muchova, moving a little slower and wincing and bending over after every point, still manages to chase down the drop at 40-30 … but hits wide. If she makes it through this semi-final, will she be OK for the final? Hopefully it’s just a stitch because of the heat and stress of this situation. Which is about to get a whole load more stressful, because we’ve got ourselves a match tie-break!

Third set: Muchova 6-2, 1-6, 6-5 Gauff* (*denotes next server)

At 0-15, Gauff batters to one corner and then the other for the winner! 0-30 on Muchova’s serve … Gauff’s return is so close to landing for another winner and three break points … but it’s just long. A collective Wimblegasp follows and it’s 15-30. A lengthy point follows, forehands, backhands, slicing, dicing, net rushing, volleys, you name it … and Muchova is victorious! 30-all. She takes a bit longer before serving, trying to regain her breath, and it works, because the Czech crunches a winner. But she’s wincing in pain and holding her abs; perhaps she’s pulled something. She still manages to take the next point, however, to hold.

Third set: Muchova* 6-2, 1-6, 5-5 Gauff (*denotes next server)

Gauff, now serving to stay in the semi-final, gratefully accepts a Muchova error on the first point, before quickly grabbing the second poing at the net. And 30-0 becomes 40-15 after some more assured net play; she’s been absolutely terrific there in this set. Muchova’s forehand then flies beyond the baseline and. They’re. Level. Once. More.

Third set: Muchova 6-2, 1-6, 5-4 Gauff* (*denotes next server)

At one set all, four games all and 30-all, the stakes couldn’t be higher; a few wrong moves from either player and the semi-final could soon be over. Will it be game point or break point? Break point, when Gauff punishes a weak second serve and Muchova prods long! But Gauff, remember, has won only two of 11 BPs this match. And she doesn’t take this one either, despite a tame 80mph second serve right at her favoured backhand. That was an opportunity missed. She gets another BP, though, with a brilliant and gutsy drop shot, lob and smash combo! Muchova can’t buy a first serve right now, she lands the second … and Gauff goes edgily wide! And Muchova somehow escapes from there! That game will be keeping Gauff awake tonight if she doesn’t win.

Third set: Muchova* 6-2, 1-6, 4-4 Gauff (*denotes next server)

But now it’s Gauff’s turn to send a statement that she’s not going anywhere: 15-0, 30-0, 40-0. She’s hit only one double fault today, which given the regularity at which her serve can break down, is very impressive. And Gauff takes the game after the point of the match – Gauff immoveable at the net, Muchova staying in it from the baseline – until Gauff eventually emerges victorious! Cue one of the biggest cheers from the crowd so far. They don’t want this to end and neither do I.

Third set: Muchova 6-2, 1-6, 4-3 Gauff* (*denotes next server)

Muchova turns up the heat with a commanding hold to 15. Not much more to write here; that was emphatic. Now I’m leaning towards Muchova – I just can’t make up my mind – the head is clearly getting to me. Not Muchova, though, who has an ice pack on her head at the changeover. Right now she looks like the coolest person around.

Third set: Muchova* 6-2, 1-6, 3-3 Gauff (*denotes next server)

That pressure builds a little at 0-15, but Gauff is soon back at 15-all and then 30-15, and the Floridian, so comfortable in this Wimbledon sauna, is covering every blade of grass on the fourth point but a backhand volley from Muchova on the stretch – those hands! – makes it 30-all. And Gauff finds her serve when she needs it to get back on level terms. This match is building to its denouement, and if you really push me for an answer I’m going for Gauff, but Muchova hasn’t shown any signs of blinking so far …

Third set: Muchova 6-2, 1-6, 3-2 Gauff* (*denotes next server)

After two one-way sets, here’s hoping this one remains competitive until the very end, but this game has little intrigue, as Muchova eases to 15-0, 30-0, 40-0 and, despite Gauff taking the fourth point, Muchova makes no mistake from there. I feel the closer this gets to the finish line, Gauff is more likely than Muchova to hold her nerve, she’s Serena-like in her mental strength, but she does have the scoreboard pressure on her in this deciding set, serving second.

Third set: Muchova* 6-2, 1-6, 2-2 Gauff (*denotes next server)

The crowd are applauding Muchova’s touch as she drags Gauff one way before pulling off a forehand cross-court pass the other. So it’s 15-all on Gauff’s serve … and then Muchova rushes forward to put away the short ball. This is the furthest Muchova has advanced on the Gauff serve since midway through the second set and, desperate to take advantage, she moves to 15-40 and two break points, the first big moment of the deciding set. Gauff gets away with an unconvincing drop shot on the first, when Muchova slips! And is more assured on the second, extracting the error from a stinging serve! Deuce. Advantage Gauff. Game Gauff, after a messy miss from Muchova!

Third set: Muchova 6-2, 1-6, 2-1 Gauff* (*denotes next server)

Muchova doesn’t seem happy with the tension of her racket – it’s so hot today the balls are flying off it more quickly than normal – but she still navigates her way to 40-15 and puts the game on her side of the scoreboard when Gauff biffs a backhand into the net. Gauff has a 78% winning percentage in three-set matches at the grand slams, by the way, which is the best among any current players with more than six wins.

Third set: Muchova* 6-2, 1-6, 1-1 Gauff (*denotes next server)

Anything Muchova can do … Gauff accelerates to 15-0, 30-0, 40-0. But then blinks and it’s 40-30. Gauff should really wrap up the game when she lobs Muchova and has an easy smash … but she flashes it well wide! Well, well. After the momentum shift in the second set, could this match be about to swing back Muchova’s way? Gauff shows tremendous speed and de-fence to scramble to advantage … and survives when Muchova nets her return off a wobbly drop shot from Gauff. Muchova should really have done better.

Third set: Muchova 6-2, 1-6, 1-0 Gauff* (*denotes next server)

It’s remarkable to think, given the way Gauff has Gauffed her way back into this with her trademark fight, that she hadn’t won a match on grass in two years before this tournament. Muchova, meanwhile, hadn’t won a single match at Wimbledon since 2021, despite twice reaching the quarter-finals before that. But here they now are, giving us a semi-final to remember, and Muchova sends a strong message at the start of the third that she won’t roll over, as she claims a love hold.

Second set: Muchova 6-2, 1-5 Gauff* (*denotes next server)

The serve is usually one of Muchova’s strongest weapons, but her first-serve percentage is still below 50% as she concedes the first point and the third to fall 15-30 down. That third point is one for the highlights reel – with Gauff finding a brilliant angle on the volley to finish it. 15-30 morphs into 30-40 and Gauff is eyeing a double break. Gauff, slightly off-balance, nets her forehand, though. Before pulling off a fine volley similar to the one at 15-30! So break point No 2. And it’s a case of Czech mate for Muchova as Gauff, giving her little room to breathe, prevails.

Second set: Muchova* 6-2, 1-4 Gauff (*denotes next server)

Gauff gains even more control of the second set with a hold from deuce … absolutely hammering away a smash for her advantage and then rounding things off with an unreturned serve! The tide has turned in Gauff’s favour, as we’ve seen several times before at this tournament, and the break has been backed up.

Gauff breaks: Muchova 6-2, 1-3 Gauff* (*denotes next server)

Gauff, with a bit more zip in her shots now, powers her way to 0-15, 0-30, 0-40. It’s the second time Gauff’s had 0-40 on Muchova’s serve – can she finally break? Gauff’s forehand loops long on the first break point … she cracks a forehand into the net on the second … but Gauff gobbles up the drop shot on the third and fizzes away a wickedly angled backhand winner! At the ninth time of asking, Gauff has converted a break point and she’s roaring into the scorching Wimbledon skies!

Second set: Muchova* 6-2, 1-2 Gauff (*denotes next server)

Muchova’s coach, Sven Groeneveld, whose list of former charges includes no less than Monica Seles, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Mary Pierce, Michael Stich, Greg Rusedski and Maria Sharapova, among others, is shouting plenty of instructions to the Czech. But it doesn’t help Muchova much in this game, as Gauff enjoys her most comfortable of the semi-final so far, holding to love.

Second set: Muchova 6-2, 1-1 Gauff* (*denotes next server)

Gauff overcooks a forehand to give Muchova two game points at 40-15, and waves her hand in frustration. Muchova then goes old-school, opting for the serve-volley, but she clunks her volley into the net. It was the right tactic, though, keeping Gauff on her toes. A rare miss from Muchova on the backhand slice and it’s deuce. And then Gauff shows tremendous fight to withstand Muchova’s big hitting and put away a winning backhand volley! A break point for Gauff … but disappointingly a mis-hit follows. And Muchova makes her way through the next two points to hold.

Second set: Muchova* 6-2, 0-1 Gauff (*denotes next server)

Gauff certainly won’t be pushing the panic button yet. She was two points from defeat in the second round, and came from a set down in the last 16 and quarter-finals, against Belinda Bencic and Jessica Pegula respectively. She’s the ultimate competitor and is brilliant at finding a way to win, even when not at 100%. Against Pegula she turned things around by showing more aggression, especially on her forehand, but in the first game of the second set here it’s her serve that wraps up the hold, with back-to-back aces, the second on a second serve.

First set: Muchova* 5-2 Gauff (*denotes next server)

With Gauff serving to stay in the first set after less than half an hour, Muchova cuts Gauff up with viciously low slice for 15-all. Gauff gives Muchova a taste of her own crafty medicine for 40-15. But Muchova crushes a winner for 40-30 and extracts the error from Gauff for deuce after some more big hitting! The way Muchova marries power with variety is seriously impressive. A fabulous point follows … Gauff charging forward, volleying … and Muchova can’t make up the ground quickly enough to get the ball back. Advantage Gauff. Deuce. Advantage Gauff. Game Gauff. She stops the run of five games against her, but is it too late to save the set?

First set: Muchova 5-1 Gauff* (*denotes next server)

Hmm. Muchova promptly falls 0-40 down. Call that the commentator’s curse. Though Gauff has also upped her game, suddenly finding a bit more range on her forehand. But here’s another jarring change in momentum, as Muchova makes it back to deuce, courtesy of two winners and a forced error. And the Czech finds a way to hold from there, as Gauff bashes her ninth unforced error. The story of this match so far: Muchova has taken 2/4 of her break points; Gauff has won 0/5.

Muchova breaks: Muchova* 4-1 Gauff (*denotes next server)

The 29-year-old Muchova has managed to reach the semi-finals at the three other slams, and the French Open final in 2023, despite a series of injuries over the years, so she certainly isn’t overawed by this occasion. She shows wonderful disguise with a drop shot – feigning to unwind with the forehand before dispatching the drop instead – and she’s got two points at 15-40 for a double break! Gauff survives the first but not the second when she makes an absolute hash of the smash! Masterful from Muchova, as she was against Naomi Osaka in the quarter-finals.

First set: Muchova 3-1 Gauff* (*denotes next server)

But no sooner does Muchova break, than she’s in danger of being broken herself, when a messy forehand offers Gauff two break points at 15-40. The crafty, creative Czech displays her all-court game to save the first with a winning volley, and Gauff’s forehand return on the second is so mis-hit that it travels nearly as far as a 50-yard Dan Burn header. Deuce. Advantage Muchova. Game Muchova, when Gauff rips a forehand down the line but just misses.

Muchova breaks: Muchova* 2-1 Gauff (*denotes next server)

Right on cue, Muchova does just that, to advance to 15-30 on Gauff’s serve. And then a double fault follows, as Gauff hands over two break points. The two shots that can break down in Gauff’s game are the forehand and serve, but then Gauff shows her money shot, the backhand, to save the first break point, as Muchova makes the mistake of going backhand to backhand with the American. But another forehand error follows from Gauff and Muchova already has the break!

First set: Muchova 1-1 Gauff* (*denotes next server)

There’s so much to like about Muchova’s game, especially on grass, which rewards her canny combination of power, spins and speeds. The Czech again draws Gauff forward with the drop shot … and this time Gauff nets. That gets Muchova to game point and she also holds to 15, as Gauff errs on her forehand side, a shot that Muchova will surely target today.

First set: Muchova* 0-1 Gauff (*denotes next server)

Ladies and gentlemen, Gauff will serve first. Ready? Play. Gauff, wearing a pleated dress and sweatband, settles early in her first Wimbledon semi-final (this is a first for Muchova too, and the two other semi-finalists Marta Kostyuk and Linda Noskova), already showing off her tremendous athleticism as she rushes forward to the drop shot and batters a backhand down the line for 40-15. Gauff holds from there. An assured start.

Gauff does hold a 6-1 lead in their head-to-head, by the way, but I’m not sure we can read too much into that, as none of those matches were on grass. Gauff, arguably the best competitor in the women’s game, has made an art out of “winning ugly” – the phrase made famous by her former coach Brad Gilbert – and has consistently found a way to come through three-setters during this tournament even when she’s not been at her best. She may well need all that fight to combat Muchova’s mix of power and touch – which is so dangerous on grass – especially if Gauff’s serve and forehand wobble, as they sometimes do. Gauff’s backhand, though, is brilliant. Will temperament + backhand or power + hands prevail? It’s going to be so fun finding out.

And here they come to a big cheer from the crowd, not that it’s quite as warm as the red-hot weather, with the current temp around 33C, and not that Gauff can properly hear it either, because she’s got her headphones – and game face – on.

Gauff and Muchova will make their entrance on Centre Court shortly, and suddenly I’m feeling a bit nostalgic, thinking about Gauff’s debut run to the Wimbledon fourth round in 2019 as a 15-year-old, and also Muchova’s former coach, the late, great Jana Novotna, who so famously won the title here in 1998 after her tears five years earlier.

Already today: a big upset in the women’s doubles, with the top seeds and 2024 champions, Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, going out in the quarter-finals. The No 1 seeds in the men’s doubles, Britain’s Henry Patten and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara, play in the semi-finals later, while Britain’s Alfie Hewett is already through to the last four of the wheelchair singles.

Today’s women’s semi-finals aren’t yet under way, but we’ve already got the order of play for tomorrow’s men’s semis. Fery will be on first against Alexander Zverev, with Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic to follow. I’m surprised it’s not the other way around – not only because Fery v Zverev would be seem to be the better match for UK primetime TV, but also because they played their quarter-finals a day later than Sinner and Djokovic.

When are we going to wake up?!

In the meantime: if you’ve got any questions for our tennis correspondent Tumaini Carayol – from Fery’s ridiculous run to predictions for the final weekend and whether Britain (Fery aside) is underachieving in the game – he’s online right now: