Wimbledon: Barty and Djokovic in action, Jabeur sinks Swiatek – live!

“If someone gave me the choice of picking this year’s womens’ champion,” tweets @Mysteron_Voice, “or the winner of next year’s Grand National, I’m not entirely sure I’d go for the tennis.”

No, agreed – I keep saying that women’s tennis has overtaken MMA as the world’s least predictable sport and it has. The quality is so deep now, and we’ve yet to have a dominant champ assert herself. Swiatek might get there, but not yet.

Berrettini-Zverev in particular would be a fascinating matchup and a serious test of major credentials. Both serve and are serving like God, so the winner would have to deploy more hands than are usually necessary.

He meets Auger-Aliassime or Zverev next, either of which will be a total treat.

While we’ve got a moment of relative calm, a seeding point: to make sure we don’t get the same matches over and over, each round is drawn. So let’s say you’ve got the last four, rather than just play 1v4 and 2v3, you pick it out of hat. But for majors, it doesn’t seem right; in the men’s draw for this Wimbledon, it’s worked out to be 1v3 and 2v4, and obviously Tsitsipas is out, but if he wasn’t, Djokovic should not play a better opponent than Medvedev. So perhaps majors should just work it out according to ranking, while all other tournaments can divide into blocks and set matches at random.

Next on No3 Court: Shapovalov [10] v Bautista Agut [8]. You’ve twisted my arm.

That is huge! Sabalenka makes her first Grand Slam quarter and her work in set three was especially impressive, given the block that’s stopped her going deep previously. She served beautifully in the decider, moved well throughout, and her match against Jabeur will be a jazzer. It’s tomorrow, people!

Sabalenka has broken Rybakina and is serving for the match at 5-3 in the decider….

What I love about Jabeur is exactly as she explained: the variety, uniqueness and unpredictability. Add power to that, and you get these flat winners that come from nowhere, until you see them again and can see how her brain worked during the point.

Jabeur really is an absolute pleasure, and I hope this is the start for her, not the beginning. She made sure not to get angry after losing the first set and decided to play fewer drop-shots after beating Muguruza. People know she does it so she decided to change up and play more aggressively, but because moving on grass can be difficult, she tried to deploy the long and short slice to keep Swiatek guessing.

What a performance from Jabeur, who recovered from losing a tight first set to power through the next two like Swiatek wasn’t there! She finishes the match 7-0 for break points, seals it with an ace, and meets Rybakina or Sabalenka next!

Oh I say! Jabeur guides a gorgeous backhand winner down the line for break point; if she can convert, she’ll be serving for the match at 5-1! And she does, though my screen drops out at the crucial moment; I think Swiatek sent down a double but couldn’t be sure. Either way, here comes Ons!

“Re the discussion of commentators,” says Faye Wood, “I do think the BBC (and ITV) could do with refreshing its crusty set of ‘star’ male colour commentators who add nothing – Castle, Becker, Inverdale, Henman et al. I find Castle and Becker unbearable and really lack the knowledge of the tour and ability to communicate the game. It really needs more knowledgeable detail and texture and fresher voices. I would point out that commentary on women’s matches is much better. I’d be happy if Chanda Rubin and Sam Smith could do every match! Also, great working keeping up with the matches and I also love Ons and Penko.”

Yup, you’re absolutely correct to draw that distinction – Smith and Rubin are both excellent, so detailed ands specific in their analysis.

Swiatek is absolutely tearing into things now – better to burn out than to fade away, as the teenage t-shirt says – but she can’t blaze consecutive winners, so Jabeur saves two break points then closes out.

Khachanov has broken Korda in set three to lead 3-1, while aggravation was averted on No3 where Sabalenka earned a break point but wasted it. That allowed Rybakina to hold, and she now trails 1-2 on serve.

Jabeur breaks Swiatek and is looking so good at the moment. Swiatek, meanwhile, spends the time between games practising her service action, and trailing 1-3 in the decider, is in big trouble.

Ivashka fought hard at the end, but ultimately there’s a huge class differential.

Swiatek settles into the set with a confident hold of her own – Jabeur then retaliates with another and looks likelier for now – while Sabalenka is opening her shoulders. At 30-all, though, controversy. Rybakina hammers down an ace, Sabalenka challenges, and the ball was good, just. But the umpire asks them to play the point again, though Saba was nowhere near playing it, and we have a break while displeasure is voiced. I understand where Rybakina is coming from, but she needs to take care not to lose focus.

A monstrous love hold from Jabeur reminds Swiatek what’s up, just as Sabalenka does likewise to Rybakina. I’ve not a clue who’s going to win either of these matches, both at 1-0 in the decider.

Sabalenka disappears for a comfort break but I’d imagine she mainly wants to have a word with herself because if she goes out here, it’ll hit her hard. At some point, she needs to perform at a major, and this one is wide open.

The crucial break came in the final game, but Khachanov gradually increased the number of points he was winning on Korda’s serve so Korda became more defensive as a consequence.

That is brilliant stuff from Jabeur, who upped her consistency after losing the first set, hitting 12 winners to three and serving much better. Buckle up for the decider, people.

“May I say that I completely agree with your earlier point about how tennis punditry needs to improve,” emails Matthew Reed. “Personally, I find that much of it just doesn’t add anything to what you can see for yourself on screen and if that’s the case then really what is the point of it? For example, during Katie Boulter’s match against Aryna Sabalenka, the commentators discussed Sabalanka’s relatively poor record in Slams whilst also referring to her as the second favourite for the title. I realise this was due to her seeding but for me it just illustrated that so much tennis commentary is superficial and about building some sort of narrative rather than offering proper insight into how the match is playing out. One commentator who I think does do an excellent job is Mark Petchey. His passion and love for the game always come through but he blends this with proper technical analysis that adds to the viewing experience. I wish more tennis commentary would follow his lead!”

Yup, before every day I ask Calvin for his thoughts because I don’t think we’re offered that kind of thing on telly.

Meanwhile, Swiatek rushes through a much-needed easy hold, finding her first ace of the match in the process, while Khachanov’s first break point of his match against Korda has been and gone. He leads 5-4 in set two, Korda by one set to love.

Goodness me, Sabalenka looks hot serving at 3-3 but suddenly loses it at the end of the game, a wild forehand handing Rybakina break point then, with the court open, a wilder one drops wide! That is inexplicable behaviour that explains why Sabalenka has struggled in majors, and she now trails 4-3 in set two, a break down. Rybakina 3-6 4-3 Sabalenka

But Jabeur saves both, then another, and at 4-0 in the second is looking good for a decider.

That was the seventh break of the match, by the way, and Swiatek now has two points for an eighth.

Check out Ons! Her forehand is booming and she absolutely climbs into it when Swiatek serves again, breaking again for 3-0 with a flat, whipped cross-courter! It’s looking a lot like a three-setter.

On Court 12, Berrettini is up a set and a break against Ivashka, leading 6-4 2-1.

As she did in set one, Jabeur has broken Swiatek in game one of set two and now leads 2-0, while Rybakina leads Sabalenka 3-1 after losing the first set.

Korda has cooled down. He started in the absolute zone – maybe he indulged in some birthday breakfast fizz – but Khachanov has woken up and now leads 3-2 on serve, first set Korda.

There was so much to love about that set but in the end ,Swiatek had just too much, able to turn it up when she really needed to to win the points she really needed to. Her poise, at just 20, is a criminal offence.

…Jabeur gets back to 30-all, but a belting forehand from the centre to the forehand side gets Swiatek set point….

Swiatek might just be on one now, directing Jabeur to her backhand corner before punishing a forehand into it as soon as she’s left. At 0-30, she’s two points away from the set…

Ahahahahahahaha! Jabeur and Swiatek are getting there! Jabeur plays a lavish drop return that bounces maybe a half a foot over the net and Swiatek, who is so, so quick, chases it down and flicks a winner around the post! She leads 6-5 and Jabeur will now serve to stay in the set.

Have a look! In classic Sabalenka style, the game after taking the first set she’s broken and Rybakina is arriving into this match.