Shock of the new: Unknown Bartoli beats Henin

The Centre Court rose in acclaim here last night as Marion Bartoli, the third best player in France, sank to her knees after one of the most astonishing victories ever witnessed at SW19, securing a place in the final at the expense of the three-times French Open champion and No 1 seed Justine Henin with a scoreline that could hardly have been more dramatic ­ 1-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Henin has endured much disappointment here, having lost two semi-finals and two finals, but never can she have felt more crushed. Having won the first set in 22 minutes against an opponent clearly overawed by her first appearance, it seemed as if she would be through to a replay of her 2001 final against Venus Williams ­ a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Ana Ivanovic in the earlier semi-final ­ in short order.

As predicted, the solidly built French contender with the odd double-handed style on both forehand and backhand was finding herself outmanouevred at every turn by the Belgian's superior experience and range of shot.

But something happened in the second set ­ something wonderful as far as Bartoli was concerned, something horrible as far as Henin was concerned ­ and the 18th seed levelled the match at 7-5. Astonishingly, the third set turned into a procession as the woman no one expected to win, apart perhaps from her father and coach Walter, watching calmly from the stand, won it easily, aided by a run of seven games in a row.

Monsieur Bartoli was not the only influential spectator, it turned out. Afterwards, still blank-faced with shock, Bartoli ­ a 22-year-old from Le Puy en Velay ­ described how the sight of the former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan had had a strangely galvanising effect upon her. "I didn't start well," she said. "It was so stressful for me, the first time on Centre Court, so hard for me. But then I saw Pierce, who is one of my favourite actors. I said to myself, it's not possible to play so bad in front of him. So I try to feel it a bit more the ball, play more smartly. I saw he was cheering for me, so I said, 'Oh maybe it's good'. I kept going and won, so maybe a little bit for Pierce Brosnan."

Pierce, it later transpired, will be otherwise engaged at a wedding today ­ but he sent his best wishes, and a picture, to his gratified fan. Whether Bartoli can pull off another sensation today remains to be seen ­ Williams appears to have locked on to winning a fourth title. But it is hard to realise that Henin, a veteran of 10 Grand Slam finals, has failed to reach her 11th after an ideal preparation which included a win on the grass of Eastbourne last month.

After beating former champion Serena Williams, it seemed that she was finally ready to collect the title that has eluded her thus far. The first set did nothing to alter that view. "It was very hard for me in the first set," said Bartoli, who had never been beyond the fourth round of a Grand Slam before.

"My game was not on at all. And I was on Centre Court. I wished I was not there at all. But I had to forget who I was playing and begin to concentrate on playing my shots. I can't realise it right now that I have won. I am so excited. To be in the final ­ it's like a dream. If you had told me it before the tournament I would not have trusted you."

Henin presented a harrowed but sporting figure in the aftermath. "Yeah, it's been pretty hard for me today," she said. "I had control of the match in the first set, and then it slowly but surely started to change a little bit."I don't make it an obsession. I'm disappointed because I lost a Grand Slam semi-final. It's normal to have these feelings now. I knew it could be a dangerous match and I had chances to win the match in two sets, but she came back and she proved that she was a very good tennis player. She deserves to be in the final. Conditions were difficult. The wind and everything. She really played much better in these conditions than me."

Power may be the trademark of Venus Williams's game, but the greatest part of it is her willpower. She had decided that nothing was going to prevent her reaching her sixth Wimbledon final ­ and lo, it came to pass.

Last month in the French Open final, Serbia's 19-year-old Ivanovic froze on the day against Henin. That didn't happen yesterday, despite the evidence suggested by the scoreline, but there was nothing the teenager could do to hinder the gathering impetus of the woman so ludicrously seeded 17 places below her at 23.

That number meant nothing to Williams. The only number to hold here interest here, where she has already won three singles titles, is four. And the fact that her younger sister Serena out of the frame, leaving her to carry the family honour, has served only to strengthen her purpose.

Asked to assess the prospects of facing Ivanovic, Williams responded that the Serbian had the same kind of game as she did, adding "it will just be a case of me playing that game a little better." Which was pretty much exactly what happened.

"I always believe in myself," Williams said. "I feel like, no matter who I play, I have the advantage going up... Serena and I just take Wimbledon so seriously. We urge ourselves along. We just love this tournament - we understand what it means. So somehow we just pull it out of the bag here."

Bartoli's favourite James Bond film featuring Brosnan happens to be " Die Another Day". Whether that is some kind of a portent should become clear this afternoon.

* Henin started the match a 1-20 favourite and in total over £4m was matched ­ that is backed and laid ­ on Henin on the betting exchange Betfair.

Three who upset odds at SW19

1962: Billie-Jean Moffitt v Margaret Court

Moffitt had yet to blossom into Billie-Jean King when she came up against top seed Margaret Court in the second round. After a first-round bye Court faced effervescent Moffitt, 18, who won 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.

1991: Jennifer Capriati v Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova was 34 and had appeared in the last nine finals when she faced a 15-year-old prodigy in the quarter-finals. Capriati won 6-4, 7-5 to become the youngest player, at 15 years and 96 days, to reach the semi-finals since Lottie Dod.

1994: Lori McNeil v Steffi Graf

No defending women's champion had ever been beaten in the first round and that perfect record was hardly likely to be broken by Graf in 1994. The athletic German was virtually unbeatable on grass and had won five of the previous six Wimbledon titles.

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