THE stars turned out to hail the new undisputed King of British tennis last night and most of those applauding Andy Murray were female.
THE stars turned out to hail the new undisputed King of British tennis last night and most of those applauding Andy Murray were female.
Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet was joined in the Centre Court crowd at Wimbledon by Miss Scotland, Katharine Brown, 22, and they were among the growing legion of female fans as the Scots tennis ace clinched a place in the semi-finals.
Murray's former classmate Katharine and her pal ex-Miss Scotland Nieve Jennings cheered from the stands as he roared to victory over Spaniard Jaun Carlos Ferrero.
But as the temperature soared high into the 80s, our tennis hero's girlfriend Kim Sears only had eyes for Andy.
He is now just one match away from Sunday's final and the scramble is already on for gold-dust tickets with internet bids recorded at £20,000.
As for Miss Scotland, Andy joked: "She was quite annoying to sit next to at school but I'm happy that one of my school friends came to watch.
Titanic star Winslet, 33, was accompanied by her husband, film director Sam Mendes.
Music mogul Simon Fuller and sports presenter Des Lynham also showed their support.
After receiving encouragement from the Queen and actor Sir Sean Connery, Murray revealed he had also been given a hand-written note from Wimbledon favourite and singer Sir Cliff Richard.
Speaking of the celebrity support, Murray said: "It's good for tennis any time you get big stars or celebrities coming to watch.
"It makes it cooler for kids and stuff, which is important in this country."
On Wimbledon's Murray Mound, tennis fans braved scorching heat.
Two days ago they had been sitting in the darkness, as the clock ticked ever closer to 11pm. Yesterday they sat in the sweltering mid-afternoon SW19 sun on one of the hottest days of the year.
It was standing room only on Murray Mound as overflow fans' watched the action on a big screen. The beer and Pimm's vendors were doing a roaring trade. Union flags mingled with a sprinkling of Saltires, but the main accessory of choice was the umbrella. Two days ago, they were needed, briefly, against thunderstorms. Now they were parasols.
Wrapped in a Scotland flag, Rebekah Caldwell, 21, of Kilmarnock, said: "He's got a good head on his shoulders and he's got what it takes to win ... plus he's Scottish, so that helps.
"But everyone just wants him to do well."
Murray, the first Brit to make it to the last four since Tim Henman in 2002, will take on American Andy Roddick in the semi-finals tomorrow.
