A combination image of three photographs shows Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrating after defeating Andy Murray of Britain in their semi-final match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, July 1, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

LONDON - Rafa Nadal crushed Andy Murray's Wimbledon dream in the semi-finals for the second successive year with an emphatic 5-7 6-2 6-2 6-4 victory on Friday.

The top seed and defending champion, who will face Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final, was outplayed by the fourth seed in the first set but he raised his game in the second and won seven games in a row to take control of the match.

Murray, bidding to become the first British men's singles champion at Wimbledon for 75 years, had no answer to the Spaniard's sustained brilliance, making a string of unforced errors as the match slipped away from him.

Nadal, who will lose his world number one ranking to Djokovic next week, stayed on course for a third Wimbledon title and 11th grand slam crown.

Andy Murray of Britain attends a news conference following his defeat by Rafael Nadal of Spain in their semi-final match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, July 1, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]