NOVAK Djokovic is through to the Wimbledon final for the third year in a row after a relentless performance against Richard Gasquet saw him beat the Frenchman 7-6, 6-4, 6-4. 

 

It is the fourth Wimbledon final in all for the world No 1, who won the title in 2011 and again last year, and was runner-up to Andy Murray in 2013.

Gasquet, as in so many of his matches against more highly ranked players, delivered the more aesthetically pleasing shots, and at his very best moments reached heights of quality that were greater in isolation than anything Djokovic could muster. But the Serb's all-round game was more solid by far, and during those rare occasions when he did get in trouble, the blistering power of his serve got him back out of it in short order.

Djokovic has now only lost to Gasquet once in 13 previous meetings, with that one exception having come all of eight years ago. This was their third meeting in a Grand Slam, and Gasquet has yet to take a set so much as a set off Djokovic.

Gasquet's vulnerability was exposed when he was broken in his very first service game, but his new-found fighting spirit was in evidence when he broke back immediately. As the set wore on, the quality of some of the Frenchman's down-the-line backhands would have demoralised a lesser player, but Djokovic looked as unperturbed as ever.

The top seed has long had the habit of making the exceptional see routine and the extraordinary appear effortless, and that was exemplified when he took the first set on the tiebreak. The players swapped mini-breaks early on, just as they had done in the regulation set, but when Djokovic grabbed two more points on his opponent's serve for a 5-2 lead, there was nothing that Gasquet could do to hit back.

The defending champion pressed home his advantage with a break at the start of the second set, and this time Gasquet was unable to muster an instant response. Whatever he tried, Djokovic had an answer, and the signs of frustration had begun to show by the time the set was over.

At two sets to love down, Gasquet was in deep trouble, and had an unenviable problem to solve. He needed to become more adventurous to have a chance of getting on top of Djokovic - but the riskier he played, the more he would leave himself open to being punished.

A chink of light appeared for the 21st seed when he was 30-0 up against serve in the second game of the third set, but he lost the advantage through a couple of unforced errors. Serving at 1-1, Gasquet enjoyed one narrow escape at 30-40 when Hawk-Eye ruled in his favour to make it deuce. But he could not extricate himself from a second break point and found himself with the end in sight at 2-1 down.

Gasquet saved a couple of break points at 5-3 down, and it would have been a cruel reflection on the effort and artistry that he had put into an entertaining contest if he had lost the match there. But, having postponed the inevitable there, he could do nothing to stop Djokovic taking the match in imperious fashion in the next game.