A knock-down inspired a spirited stand.

Scraping himself off the court, Kevin Anderson improvised a brilliant left-handed forehand to spark his epic Wimbledon win.

Anderson edged John Isner, 7-6 (8), 6-7 (5), 6-7 (9), 6-4, 26-24, to advance to his first career Wimbledon final.

More: Reaction To Anderson-Isner Epic

The longest match in Centre Court history spanned six hours, 36 minutes and turned on Anderson's lefty stroke of genius.



The ninth-seeded Isner was serving at 24-24 when Anderson slipped and tumbled behind the baseline striking a return, scrambled to his feet and then calmly hit a topspin lefty forehand deep in the court to extend the point.

That calm response to chaos helped Anderson claw his way back into the rally where he coaxed a forehand error for love-30.

The 2017 US Open finalist broke for 25-24 when Isner poked a forehand wide.

It was the lone break of the final set.

Practice makes perfect and Anderson revealed afterward that his father and first coach, Michael, had a helping hand in the shot that helped him prevail.

Michael Anderson taught young Kevin to practice lefty forehands back in his junior days. Little did he know dad's lesson would help him pull off the most monumental victory of his career.

"That definitely brings a smile to my face," Anderson said. "At that stage, you're just trying to fight every single moment. I've hit a lot of left-handed balls throughout my life. After surgery when I was quite young, my dad was like 'Let's play left-handed.'

"I didn't know that was going to come into play at that stage at this point in my career. But that was a vital point for me in the end."

Fans erupted in the total wave before Anderson stepped up to serve for the final. Anderson closed out the longest semifinal in Wimbledon history and shared an emotional embrace with his former college rival at net.

The eighth-seeded Anderson will play either world No. 1 Rafael Nadal or three-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final.