Key events
Righto, that’s us done for today. Join me again tomorrow at 4.30pm BST, for more ridiculous behaviour, but until then, peace out.
Cameron Norrie beats Francisco Comesana 7-5((5) 6-3 (0)6-7 7-6(4)
Another nails serve and Norrie seals the win, at the end of a pulsating, wild and banging match. Next for him: Djokovic. Will watch!
He spanks a brutal service-winner down the T and at 6-4 and on the cusp of four hours, has two match points…
Comesana sends a slice into the net for 5-2, but ups the pressure with another confident volley for 5-4. Can Norrie hold it down to serve out?
Or not! Norrie shanks a forehand coming in, again with plenty at which to aim, and at 4-2 there’s life in this yet, the match that won’t die.
Another error from Comesana hands over another mini-break and this time Norrie endorses it, wrong-footing him with a backhand that forces a futile dive; 3-1, then a netted forehand for 4-1 and surely, surely this is curtains?
On a buzz, Norrie takes an immediate mini-break when Comesana nets, but the Argetinian has found a groove now, looking to come to net whenever possible; he sticks awat another emphatic volley for 1-1. Meantime, Valentova breaks Rybakina for the second time in the match to lead 4-2 in set two, but can she hold on to it this time?
More forehands from Norrie, then Comesana leathes a backhand, Norrie sets off thinking he’s lost point and game … but it’s wide, just, and from there, he serves out to earn a third breaker of the match having saved three set points. This is such a fun match
…and the second when he nets. Deuce, then a magical backhand and, just as Norrie’s fine recovery looks to have switched momentum in the rally, he sticks away yet another deft volley for advantage!
Comesana is going for it! He makes 0-15 then sticks in the next rally as Norrie unleashes forehands before coming in off a decent approach and forcing the error! At 0-30, though, he overhits … but at 15-30 he curls a lovely pass that catches his man at the net, raising two set points in the process! The first disappears when he drops long…
Norrie forces Comesana to deuce as I go around the courts to see Rybakina leads Valentova 6-3 2-2; Tiafoe leads Damm 2-1 3-3; Mensik leads Blanchet 2-1 3-4 on serve; Townsend leads Ostapenko 7-5; ad Darderi leads Spizziri 6-0 1-2. And as I type, Comesana seals his hold with a net-cord, meaning Norrie will now serve for a breaker at 2-1 5-6.
A third backhand error in a row, this time into the net, and Comesana has levelled the set at 5-5! We said this was an odd match and it is, both players struggling to force home their advantages.
And have a look! Norrie sends a backhand long, Comesana noises up the crowd, and he’s a pint away from retrieving a second break!
More mahoosive forehands from Norrie to win a 25-stroke rally for 15-0., and it’s soon 30-15. Then, when Comesana loops a volley … with half the court at which to aim … he sends a backhand wide! It should be match point, instead it’s 30-all and pressure.
Comesana holds, forcing Norrie to serve for it. The way this match has gone, you can’t be sure he’ll manage it.
The wind’s kicking up now and Norrie outlasts Comesana from the back to make 30-15, then unleashes two big forehands which allow the putaway at the net. Then another, hooked flat, seals the hold, and at 5-3 he’s a game away from round three.
Comesana holds, putting Norrie under a bit of pressure before he serves at 2-1 4-3. This has been a strange match really, neither man quite able to take advantage of their opportunities while it goes as it was always likely to.
Norrie’s not finding it easy to force home his advantage, down 30-40, then Comesana unloads a barrage of backhands to snatch back a break for 2-4 in the fourth; on 17, Rybakina has taken over, winning four games on the spin and serving out a 6-3 first set.
Back on Grandstand, Martin Damm, a 21-year-old American, has taken the third set against Francis Tiafoe 10-8 in a tiebreak while, on 17, Valentova nets to find herself down 5-3 having led 3-2.
Throughout this match, there’s been a sense that Norrie will do whatever ends up being necessary to win, and he breaks a second time in set four to lead 4-1. He’s two games away and, though he’s lost focus when winning, has played pretty well against a tricky opponent.
Rybakina finds herself down 40-15 as Valentova looks to endorse her break, but from there she finds a way a to strike back immediately and it’s now 3-3 in the first. Meantime, Norrie leads Comesana 3-1 in the fourth and is three holds away from round three.
Grimsby Town have beaten Manchester United 12-11 on penalties!
Great work from Valentova, who breaks to 15 for 3-2 in the first; on 5, Norrie whips a forehand cross for 0-40 and yet more break points – he’s had 18 so far. Comesana saves the first but then nets a backhand to trail 1-2 1-2.
On 17, Rybakina and Valentova are level at 2-2. I’ve not seen the latter until today, but I’ve heard she’s got something – she’s 18 and a French Open junior champ in both singles and doubles, as well as a beaten finalist in this competition. One to watch, whatever happens today.
Norrie forces Comesana through deuce for his hold at the start of set four, but he sees it through, and on 10, Davidovich Fokina has broken Rinderknech for 3-1 in the fifth.
At Blundell Park, Grimsby and Man United are taking penalty kicks…
Barbora Krejcikova beats Moyuka Uchijima 6-4 6-2
Next for her Navarro, which should be a lot of fun.
Benjamin Bonzi beats Marcus Giron 2-6 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4
A terrific comeback earns a match against Rinderknech or Davidovich Fokina.
Brilliant from Comesana! A terrible memory is a brilliant asset for a sportsperson and he manages to forget all that’s gone before to change up his attitude: rather than play safe as he did when seeking to serve out, he attacks, wins the breaker 7-0, and earns him and us a fourth set.
Norrie will also be feeling unpleasant. All that work and he’s down 0-5 in no time … then, as I type, he plays a really good point only to send his volley long.
Again, Norrie raises break point, my SkyGo crashes, and returns to see he converts; Comesana will be feeling very poorly at his inability to close out, but he immediately seizes the mini-break then holds for 3-0. What a business he’s making of this set.
Elsewhere, Rinderknech has just taken set four to force a decider against Davidovich Fokina, while Rybakina and Valentova are nocking up, the winner to face the surging Raducanu.
Going around the courts, Tiafoe now leads Damm 6-4 7-5 2-2; Mensik and Blanchet are level at 1-1 1-1, both sets having gone to tiebreaks; Bonzi is serving for the match having come back from 2-0 down against Giron; and as I type, Comesana breaks Norrie again! He’ll now serve for the third set a second time!
Norrie keeps forcing break-back points and eventually finds what he needs, a terrific backhand doing the trick, and we’re back on serve at 5-5 in set three. He worked really hard for that and it felt, if not inevitable, not unlikely.
Taylor Fritz (4) beats Lloyd Harris 4-6 7-6(3) 6-26-4
It was a struggle and took almost three-and-a-half hours – Harris’ struggles with injuries are partly responsible for that – but Fritz prevails. Next for him: Kym.
Back with Norrie, he leads 2-0 as we know, but Comesana is serving for the third set; as I type, Norrie burns a break point, hitting long.
When this happens, it’s never clear whether the winning underdog has had the day of their life – consider Peter Doohan beating Becker and Dustin Brown beating Nadal – or a star announcing themselves – consider Roger Federer beating Sampras or Nick Kyrgios beating Nadal. We shall see, but that was, based on what I saw and what’s being said of what I didn’t see, a terrific performance.
Collignon thinks he “played a good match” – I’ll say! He was so nervous at the beginning, playing a great champion, he says in rich baritone, but settled, fought for every ball, and thanks the crowd then everyone in Belgium. Finally, he anoints this the best day of his life, and how proud must he be? How proud must his parents be? This is his main draw debut, and he’s absolutely taken it off the set.
Raphaël Collignon beats Casper Ruud (12)6-4 3-6 3-6 6-4 7-5
Wow! The world no 107 sorts out the no 12 seed, and that was brilliant from Collignon. he might easily have folded when down two sets to one, but he kept attacking and, however tired he was, kept running. Next for him: Lehecka.
