Andy Murray's Wimbledon dream is over for another year after his challenge was brushed aside by the brilliance of Rafael Nadal, the No 2 seed, in straight sets on Centre Court 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 55 minutes.

The Scot simply had no answer to a display from Nadal that was close to perfection. The force of his shots from the baseline posed Murray with a conundrum he was simply unable to answer. Trailing two sets to love to Richard Gasquet two nights ago one sensed there was still the outside chance of an unlikely recovery. Here, he was not even given the remotest sniff as the semi-final door was slammed firmly in his face.

The Spaniard took charge from the outset and although both men had little trouble holding their serve in the early going, the home favourite found himself facing deuce in the sixth game of the match. Murray had little trouble extricating himself from that mini-crisis with some crisp groundstrokes, but was not allowed to escape again in his next service game.

Facing 15-40, the Scot saved the first break point of the match with a crushing forehand down the line, but handed the advantage to Nadal immediately afterwards when he perhaps lost an overhead in the sun and hopelessly mis-hit it, the ball coming off the frame of his racket and sailing over the baseline.

Nadal needed no second invitation to close out the set 6-3 in 35 minutes, Murray unable to make any impression on his opponent’s serve.

It was, unfortunately for the packed and predictably ultra-patriotic Centre Court crowd, a similar story in the second set. Murray only just clung on to his serve in the opening game having been taken to deuce again but again this was just the precursor to a meaningful strike from the reigning French Open champion.

At a game apiece, Murray fell behind on his serve once again, first to a stunning backhand pass and then after sending a forehand lamely into the net.

After hitting an easy backhand volley long, the Scot then double faulted to gift Nadal a break and then had to show considerable resolve not to drop his serve for a second successive occasion and the third time in the match, having once more been facing deuce.

Even so, Murray was left chasing shadows as the deadly combination of pinpoint accurate and powerful groundstrokes from Nadal had the crowd gasping in admiration.

A second break, to love, no less, merely emphasised what a massive gulf there was between two players separated by only ten places in the world rankings. Nadal took the second set even more comfortably, 6-2 in 33 minutes leaving Murray with a mountain to climb, more of the proportions of Everest than Henman Hill.

He put up an improved showing in the third set, but having dodged a break point at 2-2, he then capitulated on serve at 3-3, two wayward forehands finding the tramlines and giving Nadal the opening that he needed. The crowd did their best to lift Murray, but his exit already had an air of inevitablilty, which was confirmed with a forehand that was long.