Top seed and defending champion Serena Williams reached the Wimbledon final on Thursday clawing her way back from one set and a break down to defeat injury-hit French fourth seed Amelie Mauresmo 6-7 (4/7), 7-5, 6-4 in a Centre Court thriller.
Mauresmo appeared to have the match in the bag at one set and 3-1 up, but Williams redoubled her aggression and Mauresmo started to grimace and rub her lower back in a sign that one of her old injuries was back.
The French woman needed off court treatment and battled on after losing the second set using pure shot-making to stay in the match instead of raw power.
But in the end Williams regained her composure and confidence and a last series of attacks put the match away after 2hrs 27 minutes of enthralling tennis.
"It was really tough. Amelie is a great player, very talented and after the first set I got a little down on myself but I told myself to fight it out," said Williams.
"After all the injuries I have had over the last year, making the final again is a really special moment."
{{/usCountry}}"After all the injuries I have had over the last year, making the final again is a really special moment."
{{/usCountry}}She will play 17-year-old Russian 13th seed Maria Sharapova for the title on Saturday.
Sharapova had earlier defeated US fifth seed Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-1.
The two finalists have only met once before at Miami earlier this year when Williams won 6-4, 6-3.
Williams came into the final on an imperious note having swept aside old rival Jennifer Capriati 6-1, 6-1 in the semis.
But the 24-year-old Mauresmo had been touted all along as the best bet to dethrone the 22-year-old American despite her 1-6 losing career record against her.
The last time they met at Wimbledon was at the same stage two years ago when Williams won easily 6-1, 6-2 enroute to the first of two titles.
Mauresmo opened proceedings on serve and tried immediately to dictate the game by attacking the net.
But two double faults and a netted volley set up break point and the French woman was left gasping as Williams blasted a huge forehand past her.
Williams staved off a break point on her own serve with an ace and then two service winners put her 2-0 ahead.
Mauresmo opened her account in the next game finishing it off with her first ace, but she struggled to get much going against the Williams serve, one of the hardest in the women's game.
In the sixth game, Mauresmo got the better of a bruising rally helping her to set up a second break point, but once again the Williams serve turned the tide.
With the crowd getting behind the underdog, Mauresmo showed little sign of the nerves that had beset her in the past as she took the physical challenge to Williams.
There was no immediate quarter given by the American though proving again that she was back to near her best after the eight month lay-off for knee surgery that followed her win here last year.
Mauresmo forced Williams to serve out for the set at 5-4 and after saving two set points, she levelled the scores on her second break point with a smash at the net followed by a clenched fist in the American's direction.
She then held serve to lead for the first time in the match 6-5 but Williams sent the set into a tie-break which Mauresmo won 7-4 taking four points in a row from 3-4 down.
Williams was looking confused and she had to save two more break points in the opening game of the second set, while Mauresmo was holding easily.
But there was no escape act in the third game as Mauresmo earned another break point and converted with a crosscourt backhand pile-driver.
Williams smashed a racket head in anger as she again struggled to hold her serve two games later, but she clawed her way back into the match in the next game converting her third break point.
Mauresmo left court to have treatment for lower back pain at the changeover and when she came back on she went from 40-0 up on her own serve to drop five points in a row for.
Williams served for the set at 5-3, but in a topsy-turvy match, Mauresmo broke back to level at 5-5.
With the back injury increasingly hampering her, Mauresmo cracked two games later double-faulting on set point down.
Mauresmo saved a break point with a serve and volley in the fourth game of the decider to level at 2-2 and the match stayed on a knife-edge until the 10th game when Williams went on the offensive to break the Mauresmo serve one final time.