The Centre Court roof is closed, by the way, to ensure there are no interruptions when the light fades. Tsitsipas concedes serve cheaply, to 15, when his one-handed backhand misfires, but Djokovic is feeling charitable too, and immediately offers Tsitsipas three break-back points at 0-40. Tsitsipas’s return on the first drops beyond the baseline. He doesn’t take the second break point either … he’s slicing and dicing Djokovic into submission on the third … but then drills his forehand wide! And Djokovic doesn’t give Tsitsipas another look-in as he backs up the break from deuce. Djokovic is 4-1 ahead.

Djokovic slips 0-15 down in the opening game, before zipping through the next four points to hold. It’s the same story in Tsitsipas’s opening service game. And then Djokovic ups the ante with a hold to love. The 7X champ leads 2-1 on serve.

Elsewhere: Pablo Carreno Busta is doing his best to gain some revenge over his young fellow Spaniard Rafael Jodar for beating him at the French Open, and has taken the first set 6-3. Auger-Aliassime is now two sets to the good, 7-6, 6-3, against Dino Prizmic, and Britain’s Henry Patten and his Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara, the champions here two years ago, no less, have booked their spot in the second round of the men’s doubles.

These two know each other very well, having contested two grand slam finals, at the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open, as well as four other finals. Djokovic won them all, but he did have to come from two sets down at Roland Garros.

This time last year Tsitsipas retired in opening round because of chronic back problem that forced him to consider retiring from tennis completely. But thankfully it now seems to be under control and, having recently split with his coach/dad Apostolos, he’s looking to reach the third round of a slam for the first time in more than two years.

Krejcikova’s victory means that Stefanos Tsitsipas is bouncing up and down backstage, waiting to make his Centre Court entrance alongside Novak Djokovic, who’s once again wearing his RF-style blazer. The gall of copying the once GOAT, even if you are now the GOAT!

Andreeva, meanwhile, smashed her racket into her bag and I think told her box “I don’t want to hear it” before departing in double quick time. That’s tough to watch, especially given she’d managed to find impressive emotional equilibrium at the French Open, but she’s still young, she’ll learn from this. And it’s probably no surprise that she was exhausted emotionally after what she achieved in Paris. In the past four decades, only Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams have managed to achieve a Roland Garros-Wimbledon double in the same summer. It’s one of the toughest tasks in tennis.

“We’ve been fighting for almost three hours, what a match, what a match,” says Krejcikova, gasping for air. “I think this is my fifth time playing with Mirra. It’s always been a huge fight. She’s so young and a unique player, she has everything in front of her. I’m really happy we were able to put on such a great show and we were fighting until the last point.

“I’m extremely proud to win on the best court in the world. I’ve been through a lot with injuries and in my personal life. The last couple months was really hard to get through with the emotions of what has happened. I hope my niece was watching because she loves tennis. I think she has chicken pox, so I hope I made her proud.”

Up next in the third round will be her Czech mate Nikola Bartunkova, not that Krejcikova will want to know. She quirkily always tries to avoid finding out who her next opponent is until the morning of each match.

… Krejcikova escapes back to deuce as he effort just clips the baseline, takes the next point to secure a sixth MP… but nothing is straightforward in this game and Krejcikova hits well beyond the baseline! And a forehand winner from Andreeva followed by a backhand error from Krejcikova finally settles matters! This is back on serve and Andreeva’s hand is shaking as she takes a swig from her bottle at the changeover; the adrenaline is pumping and she’s found a way out of her slump and has got this deciding set back on serve at 4-5 down!

… now it’s break point Andreeva, and Krejcikova shows a tremendous all-court game to move forward and dispatch a backhand volley winner! Andreeva soon gets herself a second break point, and if she can find a way to pull off victory from the jaws of defeat here, it’ll be career-forming, even for a 19-year-old who’s already won a slam …

Krejcikova quickly brings up a fourth match point, a long rally plays out …. Andreeva is dragging Krejcikova left and right and left … and the French Open champion pulls off the winner! Deuce. Advantage Krejcikova, a fifth match point. This time Krejcikova misses an inside-in forehand! And Andreeva accelerates to her right to ping a forehand passing winner down the line! Martinez smiles, despite being frozen out by Andreeva for most of this match, and they’re back at deuce …

Krejcikova holds for 5-2. Andreeva manages to get out of her funk to hold to love for 5-3. But now Krejcikova is serving for the match, and two aces help her sprint to 40-0. But a forehand winner from Andreeva, a forehand error from Krejcikova and a double fault later, and it’s somehow deuce! All three match points have vanished …

Gavriella Epstein-Lightman is helpfully back, to provide some analysis on FAA v Prizmic, given my eyes have firmly been on Centre Court and Atlanta Stadium. “In 2024, Prizmic showed his talent against Novak Djokovic in the first round of the Australian Open. He pushed the Serb to four sets in a performance that underlined his potential - a promise he has yet to fulfil. Now, he’s narrowly lost the first set 7-6 to third seed Auger-Aliassime. It’s a set that ended frustratingly for Prizmic, with a double fault, though he had plenty of opportunities.”

Belinda Bencic, the former Olympic champion and last year’s semi-finalist, has won 7-5, 6-0 against China’s Xinyu Wang and will play the 19th seed Anna Kalinskaya in the third round. And a potentially decisive moment on Centre Court, as Krejcikova breaks from deuce for 4-2 in the final set, with an increasingly volatile Andreeva looking as if she may combust at any moment. This is very much early-career Andreeva right now; all of the emotional control she showed at the French Open has disappeared. And she’s not the tiniest bit impressed when Centre Court erupts to celebrates England’s victory.

Krejcikova is interrupted at deuce on her serve as Centre Court celebrates Harry Kane’s superb second. The All England Club has banned World Cup matches from being shown around the grounds, but of course the spectators can’t resist having a covert look on their phones, even though the umpire is demanding silence. Krejcikova claims the next two points to hold for 3-2, just as Auger-Aliassime secures the first set against Prizmic on a tie-break, racing through seven points to two.

Andreeva, who showed newly found composure and maturity to win her first grand slam title in Paris a few weeks ago, is in a bit of a teenage funk right now, still blanking her box, stomping around the court and playing with little equilibrium; a winner one minute, a messy error the next. Andreeva plants a volley into the net to give Krejcikova a break point but the Czech can’t capitalise. And the Russian fifth seed escapes with the hold. It’s Andreeva 6-4, 5-7, 2-2 Krejcikova.

A brief delay on Centre Court as Andreeva’s bracelet breaks and the beads are being picked up off the grass. A longer delay follows as Krejcikova gets treatment for a blister. When Krejcikova returns to the baseline there’s a big cheer, but it’s not for the Czech, it’s because news has filtered through of England’s equaliser. When England beat Switzerland on penalties in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, Novak Djokovic acted out a penalty kick mid-match on Centre Court, but Andreeva and Krejcikova aren’t in the mood for such frivolity, they look as if they just want to focus on the tennis. It’s going on serve in the deciding set, with Krejcikova leading 2-1.

Also getting going: Britain’s Henry Patten and Finland’s Harri Heliovaara, the 2024 men’s doubles winners and the French Open runners-up this month, against the French pair Terence Atmane and Luca Sanchez. Elsewhere in the men’s doubles there was defeat earlier for one of the most potentially combustible pairs to ever team up in tennis, Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Bublik. Kyrgios, who was playing his first match at Wimbledon since losing the 2022 final to Novak Djokovic, marked his return by swearing at the umpire and saying he didn’t care if he fined. Some things never change.

Mochizuki will take on the winner of the all-Spanish affair between the new Rafa on the block, Rafael Jodar, and Pablo Carreno Busta. They’re just warming up on No 2 Court.

Pegula is through, 7-6, 6-1 against Sorribes Tormo. Another American, young Ethan Quinn, is out though, losing 6-2, 7-6, 7-5 against the Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki, the 2019 junior Wimbledon champion who’s broken new ground by reaching the third round of a major for the first time.

Some Sinner and Sabalenka highlights for your viewing pleasure:

Usually it’s the player who’s lost the set that goes off court, but interestingly it’s Krejcikova who’s taken her leave here. Maybe she’s a secret England fan. Martinez, meanwhile, is trying to shout some instructions to Andreeva, but the 19-year-old doesn’t want to listen. The impudence of youth, eh.

“A former Wimbledon champion against the reigning Roland Garros champion. Andreeva vs Krejcikova is a match to savour,” emails Gavriella Epstein-Lightman, who may be one of the only Guardian readers currently not over there. “The fact that it is coming in the second round is testament to Krejcikova’s injury woes and lack of form. But the Czech strikes a cleaner ball than most and is expert at guiding crisp forehands into the corners like precision-guided missiles. Her unyielding accuracy and the penetration of her groundstrokes has disrupted Andreeva’s rhythm.”

Andreeva’s coach Conchita Martinez, the 1994 Wimbledon champion, is urging her charge through every point now, but Krejcikova holds for 6-5 and then slices and dices her way to 0-30 on Andreeva’s serve. The 2024 champion is two points away from forcing a deciding set. Make that one, when Andreeva blinks on her backhand. 0-40. Krejcikova flings a forehand into the net on the first set point, but with the sun half baked in sun, half darkened by the shade, Andreeva rams a forehand wide and this one is going the distance. It’s Andreeva 6-4, 5-7 Krejcikova.

Krejcikova is serving for the second set … and blinks at the most inopportune time, with two unforced errors and a double fault gift-wrapping three break-back points for Andreeva, who doesn’t capitalise on the first two but does on third. And the 19-year-old Andreeva, the champion in Paris three weeks ago, regains the strut of a newly crowned, first-time grand slam champion as she holds for 5-5. It’s Andreeva leading 6-4, 5-5.

Jessica Pegula, the fourth seed who, like Coco Gauff, is seeking some Wimbledon redemption after being bundled out in the first round last year, has claimed the opening set on a tie-break, eight points to six, against Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo. Meanwhile Pegula’s fellow American Jovic is racing to the finish line, now 6-1, 5-2 ahead against Maria.

Back on Centre Court, in the battle of the French Open champions past and present, Krejcikova is on the comeback trail, breaking Andreeva for 3-1 and then backing it up for 4-1. “COME ON ENGLAND!” chirps one fan in the Centre Court stands; Andreeva doesn’t look too impressed, as she smacks a ball into the Wimbledon skies, but that may be more down to the scoreline, tbf. The 30-year-old Krejcikova has had very little form to speak of this year, but is such a crafty competitor and thrives on the grass, which she conquered when she won the title here in 2024. So Andreeva leads by a set, 6-4, but Krejcikova is in command of the second at 4-1.

Daniel reminds me that Prizmic nearly beat Fonseca in Paris, pushing his fellow whippersnapper all the way to five sets, so this may not be as straightforward as it initially appears for FAA. It looks fairly comfortable for another precocious talent, though, on court 15, because Iva Jovic is 6-1, 3-1 to the good against Tatjana Maria, last year’s Queen’s champion, whose eldest daughter is closer in age to the 18-year-old Jovic than the 38-year-old Maria is.

Gauff’s victory means next up on No 1 Court it’s Canada’s leading man, Felix Auger-Aliassime, the third seed no less having been bumped up in Carlos Alcaraz’s injury-enforced absence, marking Canada Day with a second-round match against the Wimbledon debutant Dino Prizmic, a 20-year-old from Croatia.

Thanks Daniel and hello again all! Though it may be that I’m talking into a void, given what’s going on in Atlanta. But anyway, great stuff from Gauff, who showed Peak Serena-style fight to get through that tie-break, winning the final six points and further exorcising her first-round defeat of last year. She also had an early defeat at the French Open this summer, losing in the third round when she was defending her title. She’ll face her fellow American Claire Liu next, a former junior Wimbledon champ.

Otherwise, Sorribes Tormo leads Pegula 6-5 in the first, while Andreeva has taken the first set off Krejcikova and now leads 6-4 1-1. Anyroad up, I’m off for a break, so here’s Katy back with you for the next bit.

What a match that was, one of the best if not the best so far. But that shot from Gauff, at 7-7 in the match breaker, was something else, an unbelievable combination of skill and will, a player refusing to be beaten with the hands to make it happen. Sensational.

She was happy and proud of herself, she explains, saying Sierra played a great match, hitting big shots to put her on the defence. She’s pleased with how she served, saying it held up throughout and took her coach’s frequent advice to remind herself who she is: she’s good at breaking and is a great returner, so reminded herself when Sierra served for the match, whole also looking to serve aggressively.

She also reminded herself to relax, though she was nervous throughout then, told today is the anniversary of her announcing herself to the world, beating Venus Williams, she says she’s improved since then so can definitely do it now. Finally, she thanks the crowd, noting that you get to play maybe 10 or 12 ties, so she’s trying to make the most of the opportunity because one day she’ll be watching someone her age do it, wishing it was her.

Gauff bellows, shrieks and hollers a primal feeling that explodes into the world; my days, she wanted that, and how – how? – how! – she seized it.So here she is!

But Gauff wins both her service points for 6-7, an error makes it 7-7, AND WHAT ON EARTH! Ball behind her, on the baseline, point effectively lost, Gauff not only flicks it back over the net, but somehow, it’s a winner! What a champion she is, that is remarkable and the shot of the championships so far! A service winner follows and that’s match point!

Sierra flaps a forehand long and the nerves are affecting both players now, the unforced errors mounting. Ohhh, but have a look! An inside-out backhand to the corner makes 6-4 and she looks the likelier winner, all the more so when a netted return gives her 7-4; Gauff is running out of chances and, I feel, only wins if there’s a choke. She’s just not playing well enough to win enough points in a row.

Elsewhere, Fonseca will shortly serve for the match against De Jong, who had the trainer out not long ago, while Andreeva has broken Krejcikova again to lead 4-3. Back with out main match, though, Gauff again retrieves a mini-break only to go long from the back, and Sierra leads 5-3.

Sierra hammers a backhand cross … that’s wide, just, the mini-break lost. But it’s soon retrieved and a backhand to the corner is followed by a wrong-footing forehand that’s so good it knocks Gauff off her feet. The lead is 4-2.

Great work from Sierra, who did in fact tighten, though I predicted to the contrary. She holds for 6-6 and here comes the match breaker; immediately, she takes a mini-break.

This is what champions do: Gauff rushes through a hold for 6-5 and now Sierra must avoid being broken to stop in the match – mere minutes after serving for it. Ouch. Elsewhere, Fonseca has broken De Jong for 6-1 7-5 4-3; Andreeva has broken Krejcikova back for 2-3 in the first; and Sorribes Tormo is serving against Pegula at 3-3, also in the first.

Sierra serves into the net and up ratchets the tension. Her second serve then has to haul itself over the net, Gauff tries a drop, and the underdog can’t respond! Gauff played that game well; Sierra, avowedly, did not.

Sierra makes 15-0 and then nets a backhand; at 30-all, she goes long, and this is pressure!

Sierra consolidates in short order and at 5-3, she’s a game away; remember last year, she made round four as a lucky loser, then also did well in Paris, making the third round. I don’t think she’s going to get too tight as we near the end and, as I type, she nails a backhand winner down the line for 30-all. Gauff, though, champ that she is, responds with an ace and a service winner so, at 3-6 6-3 5-4, the underdog will shortly serve for the match. On the one hand, this’d be a massive shock; on the other, I can’t say I’m surprised, partly because Sierra is good and partly because I don’t think Gauff has been at it this season, her serve and forehand still problematic.

A forehand to the corner sets up a drop, feathered over the net by Sierra for 0-15 on the Gauff serve. Ooooh, and have a look! A backhand cross, hit flat and hard, out of nowhere, makes 0-30, and for someone with a dicky serve, this is pressure – all the more so when the first delivery goes into the net. Sure enough Gauff then nets again for 0-40, and she’s in big trouble; another fault follows, then the next serve is so close to the line our commentator calls the double, but it ticked the outside of the line though, real talk: I don’t think it’s going to matter. Gauff’s serving has gone, and when she has to try another second deliver, the forehand return, clobbered from corner to corner, is far too good. Sierra leads 4-3 in the third, and she’s two games away.

I nip to get a drink and of course miss a break .. but where?

On Centre is the answer, where Krejcikova leads Andreeva 2-0 in the first.

It’s a while since we visited with Kaliskaya and the no 19 seed is in shtuck, down a break to Parry at 2-1 in the third. And elsewhere, Iva Jovic is about to start against Tatjana Maria – that should be a fun scuffle.

We’re under way again on Centre, Andreeva earning immediate break points against Krejcikova. Both are saved, though, the second with a booming serve, and from there, the former champ closes out, sealing the hold with a forehand winner down the line. Back on No 1, meanwhile, we’re at 2-2 in the third, Sierra doing a great job of holding it all down.

Also going on:

Sorribes Tormo is ranked 253 currently, but she can play – she used to be top 30, but has taken time away from the game, which explains her lowly status. Don’t be surprised if she makes a proper match of this.

Next on No 2: Jessica Pegula (4) v Sara Sorribes Tormo.

Sierra makes Gauff fight hard for her hold, but she gets there in the end and leads 2-1 in the first. Before this gets tight, though, let’s do Medvedev’s interview:

He acknowledges that Merida started great and he lacked rhythm, ut step by step he played better, not brilliant but good enough to win.

Asked about his serve, he says on grass it’s the most important serve, and no one ever won Wimbledon without doing it well. He loves playing in SW19, the atmosphere is great and you don’t get much booing, so he’s grateful for that and enjoyed his two semis here,; he hopes to reach another.

De Jong is giving it all he’s got but Fonseca is just too good. Serving for the set at 6-1 6- … at 40-30, he paints a drop into the net, but the sense remains that its conclusion is imminent and so it proves. The Brazilian leads 6-1 7-5 and will take some stopping.

Medvedev has broken Merida again, and will now serve for the match at 3-6 6-3 7-5 5-2.

Next on Centre: Barbora Krejcikova v Mirra Andreeva (5).

Right, Sinner’s interview. He’s happy to get done in straights after Monday’s five-setter. He didn’t have a lot of control, so he’s very happy to win, even though, in their latest episode of bullying him, Nike have him in something someone’s nana knitted.

In the first match he felt the lack of practise, but he’s getting back to his rhythm and aims to improve; tomorrow is day off.

Then, asked about his golf, he says he’s not as good as Carlos, that’s for sure, but it’s a great honour to play in front of Rory – and everyone else, he adds, rather than cuddling up as Djokovic did when shown David Beckham in the crowd.

Serving for the set, Sierra his the tape … and the ball clambers over and dies for 40-0. A double follows, then Gauff makes 40-30 … only to waft a return long. We’re going all the way, a 6-3 set apiece taking us to a decider.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/aay_pwtTTy4

Sierra is playing with competence and confidence, doing nothing wild but still doing plenty, and she holds to lead Gauff 5-2 in the second, the set nearly hers. Medvedev, meantime, now leads Merida – who, at 21, is a lot younger than he looks – 2-1 3-1. He should soon be hoe, but if his opponent can find a bit of calma, he might go places.

Oh, but Sinner’s forehand cross falls fractionally out – so fractionally, he was en route to the net for the handshake – for all the difference it makes. A serve out wide and clean-up forehand means a second match point…

At 0-15, Borges misses a forehand, the punishment compounded when an ace rushes by right after. But a backhand down the line is good enough for 30-all … then an overhead takes Sinner to match point.

Yeah, biggup Nuno Borges. He fights for his hold and forces Sinner to serve for the match while, on 3, Fonseca’s forehand is bullying De Jong, the lead now 6-1 3-2 with a break. And on Centre, a comfy hold for Sierra means she leads 4-1 in the second, a decider looking likely.

Medvedev serves out a 7-5 third set to lead Merida 2-1, while a Sinner hold means that at 7-6 7-6 5-3, he’s a game away. Can Borges hold and make him work for the win? We’re at deuce…

At 40-15, Gauff helps a forehand into the corner, and the match might be here: if Sierra serves out her endorsement, she’s in it but if she doesn’t, you fear for her … and the American goes long. She leads 6-3 0-3.

Sierra has got herself going, breaking Gauff to love for 3-6 2-0, and I’m going to spend a bit more time with this match because it might just be developing into the classic for which I’m hoping. Meantime, Medvedev breaks a nauseated Merida, and at 1-1 6-5, he’ll shortly serve for set three.

Borges narrowly avoids being double-broken but still trails 1-2 2-4, while Merida has broken Medvedev back for 1-1 5-5 and this match is maturing into a proper struggle.

Oh but from 30-40, Gauff breaks Sierra so, at 5-3, she’ll now serve for the first set. Gosh, and I just love the way Fonseca is playing plays – the way he generates power on his forehand feels illegal, and he’s just carted a monster down the line to save break point at 6-1 0-1. Back on No 1, meanwhile, 40-0 has become 40-30; a bit of pressure for Gauff. But Sierra then tamely nets a return, and the consequent celebration tells us how tough a set that was. But the no 7 seed takes it 6-3, and it’s a long schlep back from here.

Sinner has, predictably. broken Borges again so he leads 7-6 7-6 2-1, and though he’s asked to fight back from 0-30 for his consolidation, he gets it done. Meantime, Medvedev has done similarly to Merida, leading him 1-1 4-2, while we’re still on serve on No 1, Gauff leading Sierra 4-3.

Fonseca is playing so well – he leads De Jong, who’s nae mug, 6-1 – I’m now looking at his draw. And whaddaya kna: he’s seeded to face none other than Novak Djokovic in round four, a different proposition on grass than clay on which, of course, he came from two sets down to beat him in Paris. Get through that, though, and he’s seeded to face Auger-Aliassime in the last eight, a match I’d back him to win, then Sinner in the semi.

Biggup Nuno Borges. Well, sort of; he breaks back, but really, Sinner, perhaps thinking the match was as good as done, gifted it him. He leads 2-0 1-1.

Moving around wa outside courts, Altmane trails Tiafoe by 2-1 and a break; a fifth set looks likely. Kalinskaya is serving for the first set against Parry at 5-4; Bouzas Maneiro, one of my could get really good at some points players, has beaten Yastremska 6-3 6-7 6-2; and Michael Zheng, so impressive seeing off Cameron Norries, leads Mejia 7-6 6-7 6-1.

It’s disintegrating fast for poor old Borges, who takes a break between sets, returns, ploughs through a long game, and is broken. Sinner leads 2-0 1-0, but he’s not at his most vulnerable until it gets to 5-1.

Gauff breaks Sierra at the first tie of asking for 2-0 in the first, but then finds herself down 0-40, the Argentinian settling. And though the first two break points are snatched back, a backhand swatted wide means that at 2-1, we’re back on serve.

Fonseca breaks De Jong immediately and leads 3-0; Medvedev levels up against Merida, who now leads 1-1 1-0; and Gauff has taken the first game against Sierra.

What’ll be hurting Borges is how he performed when serving for the set, giving the game away with errors after playing pretty much as well as he can, whereas the tiebreak, Sinner seized. I do wonder, though, if the chasing pack don’t fear him quite as much as they did when he won here last term.

At 2-2, Borges contests a brutal rally, then nets a forehand, and that’s the mini-break, doubles when a backhand is dumped into the net. At 4-2 Sinner, another set is slipping away – but the champ isn’t playing that well. However, as I type, of course, he smites a signature backhand down the line for 5-2, a wrong-footing forehand makes it 6-2 and, once more, he’s finding what he needs when he needs it. Sure enough, Borges then nets a backhand, concluding a 7-2 breaker, and Borges has nothing but regret to show for his 1hr 36 of endeavour.

On No 1, Gauff and Sierra are out while, post-Muchova, I’ve stayed on 3 for Fonseca v De Jong. And in beteween, on 2, Medvedev, a set down to Merida, is serving for the second at 5-3. But let’s get to the Sinner-Borges breaker, the champ down 1-2 on serve.

In typical style, Sinner holds to love, shovelling pressure down Borges’ gullet as he’s back having to serve almost as soon as he’d finished. To his credit, though, he responds with a love hold of his own, so off we mooch to a second breaker.

Muchova says it’s five years since she gave an interview on court at Wimbledon; gosh, where does the time go. Asked about the variety with which she plays. she says it’s mainly instinctive and when she feels good, and now she does, it’s whatever comes into her mind. “Come forward, hit some droppies”, she summarises.

Finally, she talks about the joy of playing doublers with Serena – I’ll bet – and off she goes. If she’s fot, confidence and in form, she’s a problem and, for the first time in time, I think she might be. Nine unforced errors, 28 winners is serious gear.

Tension as another error gives Sinner 15-30, but a big forehand restores parity, then the champ wafts long to go down set point. And, when a ball drops in mid-court, though he’s reaching for it, Borges has time and space to put a backhand away down the line … only to net. He’s making hard work of this, then at deuce, a net-cord switches momentum in the rally, allowing Sinner to make advantage … and then Borges nets a forehand. That’s five unforced errors, I think, and I’d not be shocked if the match disappears from here. Sinner leads 7-6 5-5, and to have played this well and two sets down, if that’s what happens, will demand some recovery.

Elsewhere, Merida is now a set up on Medvedev, leading 6-3 2-2; Borges makes 15-0, then nets for 15-all.

We’ll do Muchova’s interview presently but, on Centre, Sinner has just held – after burning a 0-30 in the previous game – meaning that, at 7-6 4-5, Borges will now serve for the second set.

Next on No 1: Solana Sierra v Coco Gauff (7).

Rory McIlroy is on Centre and guess what he’s wearing! Oh my days, this could well be the ultimate flex; no wonder he looks so happy.

“Think I’ll go for this little green number, what you reckon?”

Sabalenka talks about a “true battle, and a great fight, incredible level”. As ever, she’s “super-happy” to have passed the test.

She kept telling herself to” stay low and you might be lucky enough to get the set.” Kessler was making good decisions, and that was hard to handle, but after giving herself 8/10 first round, this time she’s up to 9.

Ach, Kessler nets coming in and now Sabalenka has match point on serve … but the return is good and she nets! To 9-9 we go, ad this might be the best I’ve seen Kessler play – and by the way, is McCartney the best expression of the American desire to first-name surnames? Anyroad up, another error from Kessler means 10-0 Sabalenka and another match point…

At 7-7, Sabalenka sweeps a backhand wide, and now Kessler has set point on her own serve … for all the good it does her, the iron fist slamming a backhand to the corner so the the velvet glove can caress a volley into the open space. This is great stuff.

A booming forehand to the backhand corner seizes control of the rally for Kessler, so Sabalenka sticks out an arm, the ball comes off the middle … and dips over the net for a flukey winner. The heartfelt apology is very moving, I’m choking up here, then from 5-5 she makes it 6-5 and match point … so Kessler nails a first serve, whams a forehand to the corner, and that’s enough then, when Sabalenka nets a backhand she’s a set point of her own … quickly confiscated via service winner

Borges secures two break points and Sinner saves the first, but then misses his first serve so his opponent comes in … and the champ goes long! Borges trails by a set but leads 2-1 in the second, while Sabalenka directs a backhand into the tape and Kessler leads 5-4 in their breaker.

I’m also watching Medvedev, who trails Merida 4-2; Sinner, who leads Borges 7-6 1-1; and Muchova, one of our favourites, who leads Zhang 6-3 3-2 with a break.

Right, so to Sabalenka we go, the women’s no 1 rusticated to No 1 court; she’s down 2-3 ion the breaker, on serve.

As it goes, this somehow feels, though we’ve both no 1 seeds on court, as the calm before the storm – there’s so much glorious tennis awaiting us it’s borderline indecent. Solana Sierra, say, beat Raducanu and Paolini in paris, and now she faces Coco Gauff; Tsitsipas, if he plays well, can cause Djokovic aggravation – Prizmic has a load of talent and will give Auger-Aliassime some things to think about; Krejcikova is a former champ, and Andreeva is bang at it; and so on and so on. Lucky us.

Thanks Katy and hold tight all. Kessler giving it the lot, isn’t she?

Sabalenka holds for 5-5. Kessler then puts those missed set points behind her to nudge ahead for 6-5. And Daniel is here to see you through the denouement of this second set. Over to you Daniel …

Sinner, after having those three break points in the opening game, hasn’t had any joy on Borges’s serve, and they’re into a first-set tie-break. Where to look? Centre Court, as Sinner moves 2-1 ahead in the breaker, or No 1 Court, where Kessler is serving to take her match against Sabalenka into a decider?

My head is spinning, and Sabalenka’s certainly is, when Kessler clobbers a backhand winner for 30-all. Kessler is two points away from the second set. Make that one. But Sabalenka hammers a return that is unreturned. Deuce. Advantage Kessler, a second set point. Deuce. Advantage Sabalenka. And Sabalenka slams the door shut on Kessler! They’re back on serve, with Sabalenka leading 6-1, 4-5.

Kessler holds for 5-2, despite a deuce or two or three, and even Sabalenka is applauding the American after one point. It means Sabalenka is serving to stay in the second set … this game goes to deuce too … and the world No 1 prevails from there. So it’s Sabalenka 6-1, 3-5 Kessler*.

Daria Kasatkina, who’s not had the best of years since transferring her allegiance from Russian to Australian tennis in March 2025, has come from a set down to book her place in the third round, beating Janice Tjen of Indonesia 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-4. She’ll now play Naomi Osaka – one of the first winners today - on Friday.

But look here! Kessler has two break points at 15-40 on Sabalenka’s serve. Sabalenka pushes a backhand into the tramlines and Kessler breaks for 1-6, 4-2! Which is just reward for the American’s fight in this second set. Could Sabalenka now start to wobble? The world No 1 was a set and 4-1 up in the French Open quarter-finals before falling apart, and now we’ll get the chance to see if there’s still any scar tissue from that defeat.

On Centre: it’s 3-3 between Sinner and Borges, with no breaks yet. On No 1 Court: Kessler is holding firm in the second set, with Sabalenka leading 6-1, 2-3 on serve.

Borges is up against it from the start, having to save three break points in the opening game, but he comes through them all to hold, before Sinner gets his side of the scoreboard moving with a dismissive hold to love. So it’s 1-1 … make that 2-1 Borges, but it’s Sinner who’s applying the early pressure.

Jannik Sinner has arrived on Centre Court, along with Portugal’s Nuno Borges, and Sinner is already asking the umpire for more towels. Perhaps he wants to be prepared just in case this goes the distance, as his first-round match did on Monday, when he made an unconvincing start to his title defence in five sets against Miomir Kecmanovic. The blood-stained trainers he was wearing then because of a toe injury have been switched for a box-fresh pair, so he’s adhering to the all-white rule today, at least. And he’ll certainly be hoping less blood is shed today against the world No 48.

Tommy Paul, the Queen’s runner-up, has put a W by his name, as has Hubert Hurkacz, the 2021 semi-finalist and conqueror of Casper Ruud in round one. They’ve both advanced in straight sets and will face each other next in the third round.

Kessler, who secured notable top-five wins over Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva last year, isn’t intimidated at the start of this match either, as she takes Sabalenka to deuce on the world No 1’s serve in the opening game. Sabalenka holds from there – before whizzing through to love in her second service game, and then ramping up the pressure on Kessler’s serve with a lovely slice/drop shot/lob mix to bring up the first break point of the match. Sabalenka had added such impressive variety to her game in recent years. And she strikes when Kessler biffs a backhand long. Sabalenka leads 3-1.

As the clock strikes 1.01pm, Sabalenka and Kessler tardily step on to No 1 Court, as Sabalenka continues her bid for a first Wimbledon title and a first major title away from the hard courts. Sabalenka rated her first-round performance as an 8/10, as she shook off some of those nerves that she was shackled with during her unexpected French Open quarter-final defeat, when she was on the wrong end of a 6-0 final-set shellacking to Diana Shnaider. Kessler, the American world No57, served up some bagels of her own in the first round on Monday, by the way, overwhelming Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-0, 6-0, so the 26-year-old will be full of confidence, even though she is up against the world No 1.

Good and bad news on the American front: Jenson Brooksby, who was without a grand slam match win in 2026 before this tournament, is the first man into the third round, with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 win over Peru’s Ignacio Buse. Brooksby could be rewarded/punished with a match against Jannik Sinner next. But Alycia Parks has gone out, 7-5, 6-0 to the qualifier Mananchaya Sawangkaew, who benefitted from Maja Chwalinska’s cruel luck in the first round. Chwalinska, the recent runner-up at the French Open, was match point up when he slipped and twisted her ankle before going on to lose.

Coming up on the show courts: Aryna Sabalenka v McCartney Kessler on No 1 from 1pm, and Jannik Sinner v Nuno Borges on Centre from 1.30pm. With Luke Donald, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy on the Royal Box list for this afternoon, a number of Europe’s victorious 2025 Ryder Cup team will be in attendance on Centre, and McIlroy has even decided to wear his Masters green jacket. I wonder what Novak Djokovic – who plays on Centre in the third match, against Stefanos Tsitsipas – will make of McIlroy outdoing his own sartorial choices. The audacity of upstaging the GOAT!

Yara El-Shaboury was watching on No 2 Court, and has this quick report:

Naomi Osaka cruised to a second-round 6-3, 6-2 win against the Russian qualifier Anastasia Gasanova. There was little worry for the four-time grand slam champion, whose serves and groundstrokes were stellar as she makes it to the third round at Wimbledon in back-to-back years.

There was a small moment of frustration in the second set, with Osaka stating “What the hell?” after hitting the ball out, which garnered some chuckles from the No 2 Court crowd. She then turned to her team to complain about Gasanova’s grunting but got on with business to win in straight sets.

The Japanese was candid in her on-court interview about her nerves, saying: “​I don’t rate my performance. I have to wait a bit to do that. My current emotion is that I am happy to win. I am glad to do it in straight sets.

“Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday so I didn’t want to make her get on a plane on her birthday. I will practise a bit in the morning and then maybe take her to the park. She loves making new friends.”

“I don’t rate my performance,” says Osaka, ever the perfectionist. “I was just happy I was able to win and do it in straight sets. I was nervous. Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday so I just wanted to be here for longer, I didn’t want to get her on a plane on her birthday. I’ll have to practise in the morning, then maybe I’ll take her to the park.” She’s then asked about her slightly more streamlined walk-on outfit. “I’m trying to mix it up a bit,” she says, before departing to huge cheers. She’s such a popular player, she brings so, so much to tennis and it’s great to see her thriving on the grass.

Osaka retired with a right foot injury during the Bad Homburg final last weekend, her first career final on grass, but she’s got it firmly pressed on the gas here as she breaks for 4-2 courtesy of an overhead smash. Gasanova, the 27-year-old qualifier who’s ranked down at 225 in world, has played four matches just to get this far, and it looks to be catching up with her as Osaka consolidates the break … before breaking again Gasanova lobs long! At 6-3, 5-2, Osaka is a game from away from becoming the first player into round three.

The men’s doubles is getting under way today. Dan Evans, who’s playing the final event of his career after harshly being overlooked for a wild card in the singles despite everything he’s done for Britain in the Davis Cup, is currently a set down in his match, alongside Henry Searle. There are many more Brits to come later, including the defending champions Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, the 2024 winner Henry Patten and the 2023 champion Neal Skupski.

So, to the early runners and riders. Naomi Osaka, along with the Queen’s runner-up Tommy Paul, Paul’s fellow American Jenson Brooksby and the 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostaenko have all taken the opening set in their matches.

Osaka, who’s playing the qualifier Anastasia Gasanova, walked on to court in a more practical, pared-back version of her Kill Bill-inspired kimono. Which is probably wise given she had to weave and wind her way through the grounds to get to No 2 Court. Though there again surely she could have just slayed all of the people getting in her way. She’s certainly slaying on court right now, leading 6-3, 2-2.

And if you’re still playing catch-up on yesterday, here’s everything you need: