Svitolina* 4-6, 3-5 Rybakina

Svitolina, now playing her best tennis of the match, holds with ease. And she’s asking more questions on Rybakina’s serve at 15-all. But Rybakina rifles away a forehand for 30-15. And then rattles off the next two points to hold. She’s potentially a game away from the quarter-finals.

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Svitolina* 4-6, 2-4 Rybakina

Svitolina, knowing that it’s now or never, finds a bit more energy and zip on her shots to get herself to 0-40 on Rybakina’s serve. Three break points. And she then fizzes away probably her best forehand of the match so far for a cross-court winner! Maybe that’ll pump her up. But she still needs to break Rybakina again to have any chance of forcing a third set.

Svitolina 4-6, 1-4 Rybakina*

Crisis time for Svitolina. She’s a set and 3-1 down, and now 30-40 down on serve. She can’t afford to concede another break here. But she does when Rybakina rounds off a lengthy exchange with a volley winner. Rybakina is coming forward with authority and is battering the lines.

The winner of Avanesyan/Paolini will face the winner of Rybakina/Svitolina, by the way.

Avanesyan wins first set 6-4

Over on Suzanne Lenglen, Paolini holds, to force Avanesyan to serve out the set. That the Russian world No70 does, winning the game to 15. She hit only six winners in that set, but is proving more consistent than her diminutive Italian opponent.

Svitolina* 4-6, 0-2 Rybakina

Svitolina is such an easy player to root for. She’s done so much to raise awareness and money in support of Ukraine during the war, and is something of an honorary Frenchwoman here, given she’s married to Gaël Monfils, who lost in the second round of the men’s singles. But the atmosphere is fairly muted with the stands still rather empty – although the crowd do try to raise Svitolina’s spirits when she goes a break point down in the first game of the second set. It doesn’t work, however. Rybakina holds and then backs up the break. This match looked good on paper but Rybakina is now threatening to run away with it.

Rybakina wins first set 6-4

So Svitolina is serving to stay in the first set. Which she does with not too much fuss, holding to 15. Just as Rybakina steps up to serve for the set, so does Avanesyan on Suzanne Lenglen. Where to look? Gah! At 30-all on Philippe Chatrier, Svitolina goes for broke down the line and misses. Set point for Rybakina. And there are two set points for Avanesyan. Rybakina doesn’t mess about, taking hers, but Avanesyan is taken to deuce. And is then broken. It’s 5-3.

Svitolina* 3-5 Rybakina

A hold from Svitolina and then she’s straight at Rybakina in the next game, as she gets to 0-15 with some good hustling. Rybakina then double faults for 0-30. Rybakina’s pace trumps Svitolina’s running in the next two points, 30-all. But here’s another break point. A cross-court backhand battle ensues, deuce. And from there Rybakina holds.

Svitolina* 2-4 Rybakina

Sviotlina is showing here what she’s best at as she scampers around the court to get to the short ball – she’s supremely fit and her movement is so good. But Rybakina is the better ball striker – and recovers from her stutter to hold and then break. The third break of the match so far. And then she holds to put daylight between her and the Ukrainian.

Avanesyan* 3-0 Paolini

They’re also under way on Suzanne Lenglen, where Avanesyan, the 21-year-old Russian, has already bagged a double break against Paolini, the 28-year-old Italian 12th seed who’s enjoying the best season of her career. Avanesyan knocked out the Australian Open finalist Zheng Qinwen in the previous round, while Paolini accounted for the 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu.

Svitolina 2-1 Rybakina*

Rybakina looks in control as she seeks to consolidate the break. She’s striking the ball so cleanly already. But then – out of nowhere – she throws in three consecutive unforced errors and is broken to 30. Didn’t see that coming. And a flurry of unforced errors from the Russian-born Kazakh in the third game mean Svitolina is now ahead.

The sun is even out today. Mon dieu!

No messing about from Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, on Philippe Chatrier: she’s broken Svitolina in the opening game. At 15-40, Svitolina nets her first serve, lands her second, but then goes on to send a forehand long.

Today’s order of play for the main courts

Preamble