Final preparations

"I managed to turn that match around against a top player, he's one of the best grass-court players in the world," Murray said. "I'm glad I managed to get through it and don't have to double up tomorrow. I started to get a better read on his serve in the second set."

The Scot's opponent in today's final will be Marin Cilic, victorious here last year. The Croat beat four-times winner Lleyton Hewitt 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 on an adjacent court. On another day interrupted by rain, Murray did not get on to court until 6pm after some bizarre shenanigans behind the scenes.

Thinking they were due to play after Cilic and Hewitt, Murray and Tsonga were happily playing table football against one another in the locker-room. However, when the rain finally stopped, they were suddenly told they would be going out on to Centre Court, with Cilic and Hewitt having been moved on to a different court. As a slow handclap went around the Centre Court, the players eventually emerged and it was Tsonga who began the brighter.

Fresh from reaching the semi-finals of the French Open, the world No 7 looked sharp and when Murray tamely double-faulted at 4-4, Tsonga took the chance to serve out the first set.

At 3-3 in the second set, Murray looked in deep trouble as Tsonga forced two break points but the US Open and Olympic champion managed to lift his game. And just in time, too.

After holding his serve, Murray began to return brilliantly and broke for 5-3 before serving out to force a decider. At 1-1, Tsonga saved six break points but could not save a seventh as he over-ran a backhand to give Murray the vital break. A second break then gave him the insurance and he held the advantage, clinching victory with his fifth ace.

Murray had been following the scores from the other court on the scoreboard at the changes of ends, so knew he would be facing Cilic, a man he has beaten in eight of their nine matches. "Cilic returns well for a tall man and he won here last year so it's going to be tough," he said.

Cilic came through a roller-coaster match with Hewitt in which the Australian showed why he is second only to Roger Federer among active players in matches won on grass.

Hewitt levelled after dropping the first set but Cilic always had that bit of extra power and he broke in the fifth game of the decider, and again two games later, before serving out for a place in the final. It was a composed finish but Hewitt later rounded on tournament officials for making them move from Centre Court due to concerns about another rain delay.

"The ATP guy really panicked under pressure," he said. "I just said. 'we can't just go on forecast the whole time', because two days ago we were told we probably wouldn't get any matches in for the day, and we had a full day's play and got back on track.

"I think he has to take the blame for a lot of it, because there hasn't been another drop of rain since."

Meanwhile, Scotland's Elena Baltacha will also be going for another title today when she plays world No 135 Tadeja Majeric of Slovakia in the final of the Aegon Challenge in Nottingham.

Baltacha, who only returned to the Tour in April after eight months out through injury, stormed through the first set of her match with Nastassja Burnett of Italy yesterday and then twice came from a break down to clinch the second, winning 6-0, 6-4.

"It was windy out there, which was brilliant because it went in my favour and I knew I could mess her around a little with the slices and try to bring her into the net with some drop shots," Baltacha said.

After a first-round defeat on her return to grass courts last week, Baltacha has looked much more like her old self and victory today would send her back inside the world's top 200 ahead of Wimbledon. "I can't tell you how excited I am that it is my first final since I've been back. I feel it is my tournament."