Next on Court 3: Alexandra Eala (29) v Maya Joint.

“Super-stoked”, he says, and “super-grateful to be out here playing some great tennis”, while enjoying the London sun.

He was nervous before his first match but he started better today, playing with more intent and conviction. aHe knows how dangerous Mannarino is saying they hate playing each other as they make each other’s loves difficult. “not a lot of top-spin, lot of flat, low shots … I’ll need to get some treatment on my lower back.”

Otherwise, he hopes to stay here for a long time and I can’t lie, I’d absolutely love that for him – though I fear he won’t get by Cobolli if they meet in round four.

De Minaur is another for whom this is a massive tournament. He’s been really candid about the toll being not quite good enough to beat the best players in the biggest tournaments has taken on him – he’s hit his physical and technical ceiling while doing all he can to raise it, but it’s never looked like close to enough, excellent player though he is, and the frustration must be immense. Let’s hear what he’s got to say…

Mannarino is not long for this competition, broken by Demon, who now leads 6-3 6-2 4-2. Kypson, on the other hand, is sticking with Fritz in set three, down 2-0 4-3, while Samsonova has broken Shnaider for 2-0 in the third. Between sets, the latter was advised by her coach to hit with more spin but, so far, it’s not working.

Fery nabs the first mini-break for 3-1, but then nets a forehand and wafts another long; 3-3. Oh! But then at 4-3, two brilliant volleys, one which hits the side line and dies, then another improbable winner, also close to the sideline, means at 6-3, he has two set points … and only needs one, stepping in to assault a backhand that Virtanen can’t get back. That’s brilliant behaviour, that top-20 potential evident for all to see, and the crowd enjoy the arse out of it. We’re level at one set apiece.

Fery does his best but Virtanen holds for the breaker looking strong in the process, and on 12, we’ve reached that point at which neither player can hold, Samsonova offering up a diet of unforced errors to be broken to love. That concludes a second 6-4 set, so we’ll shortly reconvene for a decider.

It’s getting tense on 18, Fery pushed to deuce when serving at 5-7 5-5, and the match is probably here. If he loses the set, a comeback will seem a remote prospect, but if he wins it, he’s got every chance … and rushing to his hold, he’s guaranteed a breaker at least, while Samsonova has just broken Shnaider back to love.

At 4-3 in the second, Shnaider makes 0-40, Sansonova saving the first break point with a forehand ushered to the corner and the second with a serve out wide and clean-up. But when a return, thudded flat and close to the baseline, arrives, the response falls long, and the French Open finalist will now serve for a decider at 4-6 5-3.

We get going on No1 at 1pm BST, 1.30pm on Centre, but before that, we’ve close matches on 12 and 18. Samsonova is still holding her own against Shanider, who beat Sabalenka – admittedly with help from Sabalenka herself – on her way to the final at Roland Garros, leading 6-4 3-3 and refusing to wilt though her opponent has improved. And Fery – who our commentators reckon has the ability to break the top 20 – trails Virtanen 5-7 4-4. Back with our hidings, though, De Minaur has just served out a 6-2 set to lead Mannarino 2-0.

Mannarino is a proper tennniser, a lefty stylist and touch-player – which makes me feel like I’m describing Henri Leconte, my old fella’s favourite in the 80s. But Demon is making him look like a leaden-footed butcher, ripping a pass for a double break and a 6-3 5-2 lead; he’s now serving for a two-set lead, which is what Fritz has just secured, up 6-2 6-2 on Kypson who has nowt for him.

Also going on:

Out on 12, Shnaider has begun her fightback, breaking Samsonova back to trail 4-6 2- while, in the time it took me to big-up his chances, Fritz broke Kypson for 6-2 5-2. De Minaur has also improved his position while that was going on, breaking Mannarino for 6-3 3-2, but we’re still on serve in set two on 18, Virtanen leading Fery 7-5 2-3.

We were saying earlier in the week that this is a huge chance for Fritz, and it is. He’s been getting closer the last couple of years – he played pretty much as well as he could losing last year’s semi to Alcaraz – and the next-highest seed in his eighth is Bublik. I’d be shocked if he didn’t beat him, and though it’d then be Zverev in the last eight, he’s 12-6 against him and, on grass, would be the favourite in my book, and were he to make it to the semis, with Shelton gone – against whom I’d back him in any event – we’re probably talking one of De Minaur, Dimitrov, Berrettini, Fils. Or, in other words, it’s never getting better.

Just to round up our other scores before we dig in properly:

• Diallo 6-7 0-1 Sonego

• Snigur 6-4 2-1 Jeanjean

• Grant 5-7 0-1 Bouzkova (21)

• Navarro (23) 3-6 4-1 Selekhmeteva

I’ve gone for Ferry 5-7 Virtanen; De Minaur 6-3 1-2 Mannarino; Shnaider 4-6 0-2 Samsonova; and Fritz 6-3 3-2 Kypson.

I guess it’s about time for one of my favourite parts of the day: which matches am I going to watch? So bate your breath and get those hooks tentered, for here we go.