Nalbandian in dreamland

Argentina's David Nalbandian became the most unlikely Wimbledon finalist in the modern Open era yesterday, when he ran away with the final set of his semi-final with Xavier Malisse of Belgium.

The 20-year-old from Cordoba, who is playing in only his fourth Grand Slam event, also created history by becoming the first ever Argentinian man, as well as the first South American since Peru's Alex Olmedo, to reach the final at the All England Club.

You were left in no doubt what the achievement meant to him, as he slumped to his knees and broke into tears just after 2.20pm. Once he had taken an hour or so to regain his composure, Nalbandian emerged in the interview room with the broadest of smiles. "It's impossible for me to explain [what this feels like]," he said. "It's something... I don't know. For me, this is a dream. It's the best week of my life."

Nalbandian has re-written history during these Championships. At 20 years and six months, he is the youngest finalist since Boris Becker in 1985. He is, by the same token, the first debutant in the Open era to reach the final. "I don't know what to say," he smiled. "Maybe I am never going to play in a final again, so I want to be happy. I don't have much time to enjoy this moment because I must prepare for the final, but these records are everything to me."

Winning the tournament is surely beyond Nalbandian, particularly when you consider the level of Lleyton Hewitt's most recent performances, but then who would have thought that this son of Armenian immigrants could progress as far as he has? "I think the final is going to be very tough," he said. "Lleyton is playing very good, but I think all my opponents except Wayne Arthurs have been baseliners, so I am used to the conditions."

Nerves, as much as skill, tend to settle the outcome of a fifth-set decider, particularly when a place in the Wimbledon final is at stake. And so it proved yesterday, as Malisse, a player who suffers from a heart condition and nearly had to forfeit the tie on Friday, struggled to handle the pressure. "I think I was just a little bit too stressed," was the Belgian's verdict. "I wasn't really thinking about just having fun – I was thinking about winning. He kept his nerve a little better than I did. That's why he's going through."

Nalbandian did particularly well to cope with the confusion surrounding Malisse's ailment. The Belgian was off court for the best part of 10 minutes at one stage without Nalbandian ever being told what was going on. But he kept his cool. "I didn't know exactly what the rules were," the Argentinian explained, "but they do apparently say that if the doctor has to take one hour with a player, he can do it. Xavier had to take time because if he has problems with his heart, something very bad could happen on court."

This was very much a match of three parts. Act One consisted of the first two sets, during which Nalbandian was in complete control and Malisse looked to be on the brink of collapse. The 21-year-old Belgian had to leave the court on two occasions to receive medical attention. Act Two started after Friday evening's rain break, as a refreshed Malisse raced through the third and fourth sets. The next interval came at 8.58pm when bad light forced play to be abandoned until yesterday afternoon.

The third and final Act lasted just 32 minutes, as Nalbandian's greater composure steered him to victory. Malisse had been the first to break the Nalbandian serve with a low, cross-court passing shot in the third game, but his celebrations were short-lived, as he lost the following three games, two of them to love.

The Belgian was also struggling to contain his emotions, as he smashed his racket in frustration at the end of the sixth game. His mood was not improved after he squandered two break-points to fall further behind at 5-2.

Nalbandian's tail was up and the sheer force of his returns won him a comfortable set. Today's final will be a lot tougher, but Nalbandian won't much care. He has already made history.

So who is David Nalbandian?

1 Born in Cordoba, Argentina, to Armenian immigrants, on New Year's Day, 1982.

2 Has never played on Centre Court. His semi-final was scheduled there until it was re-arranged on Court One.

3 Reached the semi-finals of the 1998 Junior Wimbledon, but was defaulted for arriving late for the match.

4 He is the first player in the Open Wimbledon era to reach the singles final on his debut.

5 On his biography issued by the press office at Wimbledon, no photo is available.

6 He is seeking to be the first Argentinian to win a Grand Slam title since Guillermo Vilas at the 1977 US Open.

7 Has played 66 matches in his senior career, winning 42 and losing 24. Has one title, the 2002 Estoril Open.

8 His career earnings total £310,000. Today's first prize is £525,000.