Obviously Navarro has broken Kasatkina back for 3-3 then holds to 15, and this is such a good match. I fancy the American if it finishes without a breaker, the Russian if it needs one, as the former is more consistent while the latter has the bigger shots.

So what do we know about Michelsen? “If you never saw him play tennis he’s all the main male characters in Superbad rolled into one,” advises Coach Calv. “He’s a complete dufus. A nice kid though, and he hits a clean as [redacted] tennis ball.”

Alex Michelsen is on the surge and has been hitting with his now great mate, Learner Tien, who lost to Sonego earlier today. What a few days it’s been for them! Anyone else get up to similar with their pals when they were 19/20?

Back on Cain, Navarro serves at 1-1 2-2 40-40 … and Kasatkina dismisses her second delivery, clouting a forehand on to the line for a winner. And the American then goes long, ceding a second break in a row! Kasatkina leads 3-2 in the decider!

Next on Laver: Alex Michelsen v Alex de Minaur (8). Oooh yeah!

Swiatek says she’s just played her first night session and she’s happy to have played on Laver with such a great atmosphere. Asked how she can still improve she notes that she’s just …. 23 (it takes her a while to work it out) and isn’t yet at her peak.

She’s glad she’s able to player her game and it’s good having the fresh blood of Wim Fisette in her team, but everyone is working well together. She then thanks the Polish fans and everyone else before taking her leave. She seems in a really good place.

Iga Swiatek (2) beats Eva Lys (LL) 6-0 6-1

Lovely hitting from Kasatkina eventually breaks Navarro’s scurrying resistance and raises break point, then a forehand into the net secures the riposte. Navarro leads 2-1 in the third, and I’ve not a clue who’s going to win this. The American is more solid, the Russian more aggressive.

Now it’s Kasatkina who must save break points, an inside-out forehand winner accounting for the first. But then she bangs one just long, and Navarro leads 2-0 in the third. This match, though, hasn’t been short of breaks, so this next game is huge.

On Laver, Lys has a game and it’s a break too, so she now trails Swiatek 0-6 1-4, while Navarro secures a heavily contested hold for 1-0 in the third against Kasatkina.

Something I don’t get: the desire to “make memories”. Enjoy the moment, people, not the thought of remembering something you didn’t fully appreciate at the time. Life is the present, not the past or the future.

I’ve been saving Shelton’s post-match interview for a quieter moment, so let’s do it. The interviewer tells him that Monfils is “almost your dad”; “Is that a black joke?” comes back the response.

Laughing, Shelton says he’s been watching Monfils, who has “the greatest highlight reel of all time”, since he was a little kid, and we saw some of his best work today. He hopes to still be walking without crutches at 38 and to play as he did today, entertaining everyone, is amazing, and he hopes to be able to create some memories like that with his family when he’s that age.

He knew Monfils had played a lot of tennis so wanted to make the match as physical as possible, but his opponent was serving so well and making him uncomfortable on court.

Shelton is doing well in the majors now and asked why, he explains it’s a physical and mental test coming down to who wants it more and he always backs himself when it comes to that. Over five sets it feels like you’ve got all the time in the world and he’s pretty fit so it’s working for him.

Navarro quickly makes 0-15 and then Kasatkina, who hit so freely a few moments ago, goes long for 0-30. But it’s soon 40-30 and set point, a T-serve follows, and though the Russian then makes herself a target at the net, Navarro wipes a forehand wide and will once more need to play a third set if she’s to progress! This is a belting match, level at a set apiece.

Swiatek breaks Lys at the first time of asking in set two and this is borderline cruelty; she leads 6-0 2-0, while Kasatkina has broken Navarro for -6 6-5 and will now serve to earn a decider! This is really good match that merits a third set, and I say that with no self-interest in my own entertainment whatsoever.

A fine forehand makes advantage for Kasatkina and then Navarro nets; a monstrous hold for the Russian, while the American might regret not going for more when up match point. She leads 6-4 5-5.

…but Kasatkina invents a lovely angle on the forehand, opening the court before finishing into the opposite corner. No sooner have I typed, though, then she must go again, this time saving herself with a big backhand and wel despatched overhead.

Kasatkina nets a forehand, and at advantage, Navarro has another match point…

On Cain, Navarro – up 6-4 5-4 – leathers a leaping backhand winner to make 30-all on the Kasatkina serve, and moves two points away from victory. And though the Russian then does really well to set up and execute an overhead, two further stunning passes mean she’s match-point down; a netted forehand return saves it for her.

Ben Shelton (21) beats Gaël Monfils 7-6(3) 6-7(3) 7-6(2) 1-0 retired

To the surprise of absolutely no one, probably not even Daria Kasatkina, Navarro soon makes 15-40, then a long backhand restores parity at 4-4 in set two. My sense is that the American will, at some point, do the necessary as the nastier, more reliable competitor. Meantime on Laver, Swiatek sees out another bagel set, leading Lys 6-0, while on Court, Shelton has broken Monfils for 2-1 1-0.

On Cain, Kasatkina has turned it up, hitting more aggressively from the back and Navarro doesn’t respond, broken for 3-4 in the second. But as I type, a beautiful forehand pass, hooked cross, gives her 0-15. These two are really well-matched.

Meantime on Court, the tune of the championships is in full swing, Monfils having nipped off for a break.

You’re the voice, try and understand it
Make a noise and make it clear, oh, woah
We’re not gonna sit in silence
We’re not gonna live with fear, oh, woah.

Prescient even now.

Swiatek is all over Lys now, up 4-0 in no time at all while Kasatkina is fighting hard not to lose her serve again, saving a break point before Navarro swipes a backhand wide. The American leads 6-4 3-3.

Shelton makes 6-2 and looks to have found his rhythm again his injured opponent, opening body to paste an inside-out forehand winner that breaks the sideline, and he leads 7-6 6-7 7-6. It’s incredible that Monfils is still going.

Navarro is just a bit too solid and a bit too nasty for Kasatkina, I think, breaking her back to lead 6-4 3-2.

Back on Court, Shelton leads Monfils 4-2 in their third-set breaker and if he sees it out, might the Frenchman retire? I could see him convincing himself he’s good for one more set, but two?

Lys starts well, narrowly missing a backhand down the line that would’ve given her a break, before Swiatek secures her hold through deuce. She’s never gone further than the semis here, which is in some way surprising – the balls bounce slower and lower than on other hard courts, meaning the surface is more clay-like than at Flushing Meadow, where she won in 2022. And though, in 2023, it took Elena Rybakina to beat her in Melbourme, last term it was Linda Noskova. I’d be surprised if she got past Coco Gauff or Aryna Sabalenka, likely final opponents, but she’s got a good chance of getting there given standing in her way are Kasatkina or Navarro, then Svitolina. She breaks immediately for 2-0.

It’s busy in Sydney too…

Monfils is a total freak of nature, barely able to run and yet giving Shelton plenty. His anticipation is incredible – his younger, fitter opponent is really struggling to keep the ball away from him – and we’re at 5-5 in set three, the first two having been split in tiebreaks.

Eva Lys, by the way. She was sitting on the physios couch having been beaten in the final qualifying round by our old friend, Destanee Aiava, then got a message that Anna Kalinskaya had pulled out and she was on court in 10 minutes. Three wins later, here we are: She’s on Laver playing a night session against the no 2 seed, and she wins the first point of the match on return.

Kasatkina breaks Navarro in the first game of set two then fights back from 0-30 to secure her consolidation. This is a really good contest.

On Laver, Lys and Swiatek are out.

Meantime on Court, Gael Monfils, now 38, serves at 1-1 3-4 against Ben Shelton, but he’s hurt a leg and isn’t moving freely. He’s doing a decent job of hanging in there and holds for 4-4, but I’m not sure he can win from this position.

On Cain, Navarro rushed into an early lead but Kasatkina fought back and now serves at 4-5 in the first and, as I type, finds herself down 0-40; Kasatkina then flaps long, and the American takes a topsy-turvy, 41-minute first set 6-4.

Preamble