Andy Murray vs. Tomas Berdych: Score and Reaction from 2016 Wimbledon

Andy Murray booked his place opposite Milos Raonic in the Wimbledon 2016 final on Friday after defeating Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 to get his chance at a second crown at SW19.

Berdych's height provided the serving threat Murray undoubtedly expected, but the Scot was simply too good and balanced around the court for the Czech hopeful to sustain his challenge.

Murray will now face off against Raonic, who defeated Roger Federer 6-3, 6-7(3), 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 earlier on Friday to seal his place in what will be his maiden Grand Slam final.

Berych was always likely to provide a tricky obstacle at this stage of the competition, but Murray's control across the court and use of width against Berdych's strengths proved critical in a signature triumph:

Murray knew a quick start would be critical against Berdych after he was forced to play out five sets in his quarter-final matchup with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, while Berdych beat Lucas Pouille in straight sets.

History was on the 2013 champion's side, though, as the official Wimbledon Twitter account testified to Murray's edge over his Friday opponent in their most recent meetings:

It took the Briton little time to impose himself as a ferocious returner of the ball, breaking Berdych at the first chance before conceding one of his own at the next hurdle to lead 2-1.

However, Murray was dominant on his own serve for the rest of the first set, leaking just one point in each of his three remaining serve sets and keeping unforced errors to a minimum, per the London Evening Standard:

A three-game streak at the end of the first gifted Murray a 6-3 triumph in the opener, but he advanced on that to trump the second set with a run of four games to come from behind and win by an identical scoreline.

Berdych saved two break points to keep a 3-2 lead under his belt, but a roaring Murray again capitalised upon his opponent's unforced-error count to stage his comeback.

Murray drew level at 3-3 after playing out 15 points before taking the lead for the first time in the second set, and BBC Sport provided a look at just what it meant for the Briton to be back in the ascendancy:

That break was the first of two conceded back-to-back for Berdych, who again lost the set 6-3. A scrambling Murray proved just too mobile around the court, while the Czech looked noticeably more limited.

If the first two sets resembled a tight contest, the third was anything but as Berdych's stamina appeared to give way, despite his quarter-final being a far shorter affair in comparison to Murray's.

Tennis writer Carole Bouchard noted how the power balance has altered in this particular contest:

The Scot always looked like having a chance at winning the rallies as long as he could keep Berdych's serves in play, although the taller of the pair did experience some luck when choosing to assault the net.

Murray broke his opponent at the second time of asking before serving to take a 4-1 lead, and it appeared increasingly unlikely Berdych would be able to reel the match back as Tsonga did against the world No. 2.

Berdych landed a parting blow to claw the deficit back to two games, but Murray kept a calm head to serve out for the match and put the finishing touches on a magnificently taken result.

Raonic awaits Murray in Sunday's decider, and despite the Canadian's recent surge in form, the 2013 champion will undoubtedly feel his experience in decider matchups will give him the edge.

Post-Game Reaction

Justin Tallis/Associated Press

On one hand, Murray will assuredly be pleased that neither Novak Djokovic nor Federer will be opposite him come Sunday's final, but it also presents a daunting challenge as he faces the unknown with Raonic.

This will be the first time in 11 Grand Slam finals he hasn't faced either of those two opponents, but Murray told BBC Sport he's calling on experience to still bring him the goods this time around:

"

Obviously to make a Wimbledon final is a good achievement and I've got one more to go on Sunday. The older you get, you never know how many chances you're going to get to play in a Grand Slam final. I'm glad I managed to get through today.

You learn from those matches for sure, those experiences in the past have helped me a lot, playing against some of the best players of all time.

"

It's uncertain how many more major finals Federer, 34, has left in him, but the 25-year-old Raonic could be a Grand Slam fixture for years to come.

This could be Murray's chance to get used to the challenges to come in that sense, and Raonic will be fighting to complete his journey as the first Canadian ever to win Wimbledon.