Paolini holds to reduce her arrears to 2-4. And is now pushing on Kostyuk’s serve at 0-30. But Paolini has her hands on her hips when Kostyuk cuts her up with a slice at 30-all. Kostyuk’s forehand, which has been near-perfect for one and a half sets, has slightly gone off the boil with the Ukrainian perhaps thinking about the finish line. She’s been known to unravel in the past, but she finds a way to stay calm at 40-30, with one of the calmest of all time, Stefan Edberg, watching in the stands as Kostyuk extends her lead to 6-3, 5-2.

Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool’s title defence in the men’s doubles is over. They’ve lost in straight sets to El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo and Croatia’s Mate Pavic in the quarter-finals. It means Henry Patten – a long-time favourite of this blog – is the only Brit left in the event, and he’ll play in the semi-finals tomorrow alongside Finland’s Harri Heliovaara, as they seek to regain the title they won two years ago.

The 5ft 4in Paolini may be one of the shortest players on tour but shows she has one of the biggest hearts, despite her predicament, as she hustles her way to deuce. But the net gods aren’t on her side when, at the end of a 20-shot rally, Kostyuk’s half-volley clips the tape and trickles over for a winner. Nothing is going Paolini’s way. Kostyuk then consolidates the break for 6-3, 4-1.

A word for Kostyuk’s outfit too, which is inspired by her 2023 wedding gown and sold out within a few hours of going on general sale, and is nearly as impressive as her tennis. Nearly. Because Kostyuk chases down the drop shot for 15-all on Paolini’s serve, advances further courtesy of a double fault and has a break point when Paolini prods into the net. Paolini’s forehand errs once more and Kostyuk is in complete control at 6-3, 3-1.

Paolini does, at least, get her side of the scoreboard moving in the second set, holding to 15. But the Italian just can’t get going on Kostyuk’s serve, and as the Ukrainian moves to 30-0, she’s won 15 of the past 16 points on her serve, the only blot in the book a double fault. She does concede a point at 40-0, as Paolini lets her frustrations out with a backhand winner, but Kostyuk remains in command and holds on the next point for 6-3, 2-1.

Kostyuk opens the second set with another emphatic hold, this time to love. This has been one of the most impressive performances in the women’s tournament so far; she’s in lockdown mode, so full of focus and intensity. And it’s remarkable to think this is her first time playing on Centre Court. Meanwhile on No 1, Mertens has had the trainer on for a left leg problem but is still ahead in the second set, 2-1 on serve, having lost the first 6-3.

Paolini is on course for her most comfortable hold since the opening game as she eases to 40-15 … before smacking a makeable forehand into the net. And Kostyuk makes her pay, coming back for deuce, and then thwacking her way to a first set point. Paolini tries to hit back behind Kostyuk, which is a smart tactic, but she can’t execute it, as her forehand flies long. In the Centre Court sauna, Kostyuk is the coolest woman in the house, as she wraps an ice towel around her neck, having seized the first set 6-3.

Kostyuk just won’t let up, and has points for a double break at 4-2, 15-40 on Paolini’s serve. But two errant backhands – one forced, one unforced – follow and Paolini battles to deuce, before holding when Kostyuk clunks a wild cross-court forehand wide. So it’s 4-3 – and soon 5-3 when Kostyuk charges through on serve once more.

Kostyuk is striding around the court so full of confidence, having enjoyed the finest summer of her career, amid the horrendous backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine and a Russian missile attack close to her family home in Kyiv at the start of the French Open. Having been prone to lose her composure during matches in the past, it’s as if she’s now fuelled by the knowledge that she represents something so much bigger than herself while simultaneously being able to put tennis into perspective; of course she wants to win, but she knows her country is going through something more significant. And Kostyuk backs up the break by holding to love for 4-2.

Kostyuk shows Paolini she’s not only a baseline basher as she zips to the net twice en route to another hold to 15. And now Kostyuk has deuce on Paolini’s serve for the second time … a first break point comes and goes … but here’s a second … and she absolutely rips a 96mph forehand return past a staggering Paolini! Kostyuk claims the first break and leads 3-2!

Noskova, on her fourth break point of the set, converts for 5-3, and the highest seed left in this half of the draw, after the exits of Swiatek, Rybakina, Anisimova and Svitolina, will serve for the opener. 15-0, 30-0, 40-0, game and set. Flawless stuff. I heard a few people tipping the 21-year-old for a run to the final before the tournament, and thought no, she’s not quite ready yet, but the Czech ninth seed is a set away from the semi-finals, leading Mertens 6-3.

Anything Paolini can do … Kostyuk opens with a hold to 15 of her own, finishing things off with an ace. And now the Ukrainian is pushing on Paolini’s serve, recovering from 40-0 to deuce, but she can’t make any further inroads and Paolini holds for 2-1, before striding back to her chair and the shade of an umbrella, on the hottest day of the championships so far. This has been a confident start from both; more of this, please.

Paolini bursts out of the blocks with as much speed as she shows when charging around the court, racing to 40-0 and taking the game to 15. This match pits two of the best athletes in the women’s game against each other, and while Kostyuk possesses more power than the counterpunching Paolini, it’s Paolini who has the greater experience at this stage of grand slams, having reached not only the Wimbledon final but also the French Open final two years ago. Which could be to her advantage, if this comes down to who handles the moment better.

Three more games, three more holds, but it’s been fairly tortuous on serve for Mertens, who has to save three break points to scramble to 2-2, just as Paolini and Kostyuk make their entrance on Centre. I’m really, really looking forward to this one … Paolini, after losing the opening set of her first-round match 6-0, has been a player transformed, finally rediscovering the form that took her to the 2024 final and made her a fan favourite, while Kostyuk, after reaching the French Open semi-finals last month, has carried her form from the clay on to the grass, and has won 20 of her past 21 matches.

On the doubles front, the defending men’s champions, Britain’s Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, are just getting under way in their quarter-final. Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid, the top seeds, have already advanced to the last four in the wheelchair event, while there's also been a quarter-final victory for Andy Lapthorne in the quad singles, but defeat for Gregory Slade.

The Yonex racket, the blond, wavy hair, the constant fist pumps and the Aussie “C’MONS” … but no, it’s not the 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt, instead his son Cruz, who’s over on court 12 in the boys’ singles and is leading the second seed, Germany’s Jamie Mackenzie, 6-3, 3-3. His dad is watching in the stands, having won alongside Fabio Fognini in the men’s invitational doubles earlier.

Mertens did claim her win over Rybakina on this court, and the Belgian starts here as she finished off then, moving to 15-30 on Noskova’s serve with the help of a double fault and then 30-40, having chosen to receive first. Noskova beats Mertens for pace on the break point, before crashing down a smash at deuce, but can’t close out the game either. So here’s a second deuce … and from there Noskova holds for 1-0. That was a game full of errors, and both players will hope it can only get better.

Noskova and Mertens are winding their way through the No 1 Court tunnel, and tardily arrive on court just past 1pm. They look a little nervous – or perhaps slightly shy – as they enter; for both this is a first Wimbledon quarter-final, though the 21-year-old Noskova did get this far at the 2024 Australian Open and the 30-year-old Mertens three times before at other slams, but not since 2020. They more than deserve this moment in the Wimbledon sun, though, Mertens having taken out the former champion Elena Rybakina in the third round, and Noskova having impressively beaten the Eastbourne winner Madison Keys in the last 16.

One of Fery’s former coaches at Stanford University, Paul Goldstein, who’s flown to London to watch the quarter-final, is being interviewed on the BBC. “Arthur’s an even better human being than tennis player. He has an exceptional emotional maturity beyond his years,” he says, bravely standing in the 30C+ sun by the practice courts. There again he’s from California, this British heatwave is probably nothing to him.