Dom Inglot and Croatian partner Franko Skugor may be on opposite sides for the World Cup semi-final - but they are charging together through the men’s doubles draw at Wimbledon.
Inglot reached his first Grand Slam semi-final as he and Skugor brushed aside the determined challenge of Robin Hasse and Robert Lindstedt 6-3, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4.
And while there is still two matches to negotiate at the All England Club, the Londoner is in no doubt it is coming home for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions.
“There’s been a lot of banter between us but it will be great to watch the match together,” said Inglot. “We’ve been trying to keep it civil!
“I love my football. I think it will be one of those summers we remember, with the weather and the team doing so well. I have that feeling.”
Inglot will be joined in the last four by fellow Brit Joe Salisbury and his Danish partner Frederik Nielsen - the first time they’ll be two pairs featuring a home player in the men’s doubles semi-finals since 1939.
They came through a close encounter to progress 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 against Ben McLachlan and Jan-Lennard Struff.
Salisbury had never won a Grand Slam match before and is set to double his career prize money of £66,000 — even if beaten by Americans Mike Bryan and Jack Sock.
However, two-time Grand Slam men’s doubles champion Jamie Murray missed out on the chance to join them.
Murray’s record at Wimbledon is mixed, though he was a runner-up with Brazilian partner Bruno Soares in 2015.
They were the highest seeds left in the draw but were edged out by Raven Klassen and Michael Venus, 6-7, 7-6, 7-5, 6-7, 6-4 in a four-hour five-set thriller on Centre Court.
Elsewhere, Heather Watson and Finland’s Henri Kontinen, mixed doubles champions two years ago, lost in straight sets but Brits Jay Clarke and Harriet Dart stunned top seeds Mate Pavic and Gabriela Dabrowski.
Murray and Victoria Azarenka will have the chance to join them on Wednesday when they take on Matwe Middelkoop and Johanna Larsson in the third match on Court 2.
Before that Watson will look for a semi-final place in the women’s doubles alongside Germany’s Tatjana Maria.
This is already the British number two’s best women’s doubles performance at a Grand Slam but the pair face Katerina Siniakova and Barbora Krejcikova - winners of the recent French Open at Roland Garros
Sportsbeat 2018