FROM the Royal Box to a royal command performance: this year's Wimbledon has started rather well for Gordon Reid. The 23-year-old from Helensburgh, who enjoyed the view from the posh seats on Sportsman's Saturday on Centre Court, was the headline act in his own right on a historic day at the All England Club as wheelchair singles featured at this venue for the first time.

The Scot delighted the sizeable crowd which had gathered around Court No 17, not to mention the watching Duchess of Cambridge, with a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Nicolas Peifer of France which booked his place in the sixth Grand Slam singles semi-final of his career.

The World No 3 rarely looked back after racing into a 3-0 first set-lead, then reeled off another quickfire three-game burst at the end of the second to see matters out. But he did sometimes look up, finding himself rather distracted by all the high profile names gathered to take in his match on the Centre Court balcony.

He returns to action today, facing a singles semi-final against Joachim Gerrard then a doubles match with his partner Alfie Hewett against Gerard again and Gustavo Fernandez. Both matches will be back on Court No 17, in close proximity to the thrills and spills which will be unfolding on semi-final day at Centre Court.

"I think I got a little bit distracted by the surroundings that I found myself in, it was a little bit surreal," said Reid. "Just the whole occasion, it was the first time I had played a singles match here. And every time I looked up at the balcony there was just this bright yellow dress up there. That was pretty special.

"Obviously I met the Duchess earlier on in the morning," he added. "She was just being really friendly, asking about my competition and if I had played any matches yet. She said William plays a bit of tennis and he is a lefty as well. Then she came out and watched and pretty much the whole first set."

While playing singles on grass is challenging as wheelchair momentum doesn't carry the way it does on a hard court, the points were relatively short and Reid said he had fulfilled a dream just by playing singles at this venue. Wimbledon is the last of the four slams to have a wheelchair event. "It is massive for our sport to have this here, to feel what it is like to win a singles match here was incredible. I played Jo in the final in Australia but at the start of this week I would probably have put him as the favourite. But If I can play like I did for the majority of the match then I am going to have a good chance."

Outside of Andy Murray, the only other remaining Scottish interest in this year's Wimbledon came to an end when Ali Collins of Dunblane and her partner Francesca Jones from Southampton went down 4-6, 6-3, 5-7 in their second round girls' doubles meeting with Amanda Anisinova - an American who at the age of 14 is already third overall in the junior ranks - and her countrywoman Alexandra Sanford. Jones is pursuing a career in tennis despite being born with Ectrodactyl Ectodermal Dysplasia, a rare condition which has left her with three fingers and one thumb on each hand.