THE glowering clouds have not strayed far from Roland Garros but Andy Murray has moved from the dreich early worries of the French Open to a possible place in the sun.

There is, of course, one considerable cloud on the horizon. The 29-year-old Scot will face Novak Djokovic, the world No.1, as both seek tomorrow to win their first French Open. Much of Murray’s progress to this showdown has been traditionally tense for his supporters. He took 10 sets to reach the third round and then slew a couple of giants in Ivo Karlovic and John Isner before shrugging off a turbulent mindstorm to beat Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals.

Yesterday was different. Murray was so imperious he should have made his entrance on a chariot as the plebs garlanded him with laurels and threw petals beneath his feet. Instead, he strode into the dusty if damp arena and put Stanislas Wawrinka to the sword. This, of course, is the same Wawrinka who has looked formidable over the past fortnight, who is the reigning champion, dismissing Djokovic in the final last year with some ease. Wawrinka, too, had won the last three matches against the Scot on clay.

However, Murray administered such a beating that one suspects he not only has the Swiss player’s scalp but his dinner money. The pride of Dunblane won 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 but this only hints at his superiority. The loss of the third set was but a blip. Murray was always in control, overpowering Wawrinka with his strong serve and out-thinking him in rallies.

It was further evidence that the Scot has become extraordinarily proficient on clay, once thought to be his weakest surface. He has lost three previous semi-finals in Paris to Rafael Nadal (twice) and Djokovic but there was not one moment yesterday when Wawrinka looked a likely winner.

Murray, with a mixture of pace and precision, targeted the Swiss player’s forehand with a heavy serve. He then forced the 31-year-old to move when rallies developed. It was a cocktail that proved dizzying for Wawrinka. The Scot saved a break point in the opening game and set sail for relatively serene victory.

This was, of course, a triumph built on solid foundations. Since his back surgery, Murray has moved much better on clay, sliding towards the ball with ease and sureness and, tellingly, without the odd wince that once accompanied these moves before the scalpel’s blade intervened in the autumn of 2013. His serve, too, is now strong and reliable.

His physicality is also unquestioned. Murray now hits the ball with huge pace in heavy conditions. The Stanimal, as Wawrinka is known to those with a penchant for the lurid nickname, would once have expected to outpunch Murray in a heavy hitting contest. No longer.

Murray has also retained his deftness of touch and his brilliance in strategy. No-one constructs a point better than the Scot. He can now finish it with a devastating power shot or a deceptive drop shot. He has it all.

But will that be enough?

He now plays Djokovic, who dismissed the promising Dominic Thiem, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. It does not take a rainy Paris to lead one to the conclusion that the Serb represents a long streak of misery for Murray. Born within a week of each other, with Murray the older, they have exchanged shots for two decades. They first played as juniors but Djokovic leads the match-up 23-10 on the pro tour. He is also perceived to have a substantial superiority over Murray in the big matches.

But there is more than a glimmer of hope for Murray. First, Djokovic is desperate to complete a full set of grand slams and this caused a strain that was visible and debilitating against Wawrinka last year.

Second, Murray has beaten Djokovic en route to making his compelling personal history in tennis. The Serb was beaten in straight sets in the semis as Murray struck Olympic gold in London, he was at the other side of the net when the Scot won his first grand slam (the US Open in 2012) and he was the vanquished as Murray lifted the Wimbledon title in 2013. Perhaps most pertinently, he was also the loser when Murray won the Rome title on clay last month.

And third? Murray, the first Briton to have reached a French Open final since Bunny Austin in 1937, has a sense of history. At 29, he knows this is his biggest chance on the clay of Paris. He talked last night of trying to put on a good show. This is for public consumption. He knows he can win.

It is 80 years since a Briton – Fred Perry – won the French Open. But, then again, it was 114 years since Hibs had won a Scottish Cup. Murray, a Hibee, will seek to brighten a rain-blighted Paris with a personalised rendition of Sunshine on Seine.