Key events
Cerundolo goes two sets up and is closing in on the Round One win. It’s a long way back for Michelsen.
Cerundolo puts together a string of great shots which are brilliantly returned by Michelson who is really hanging on to go level. The 26-year-old puts himself in a great position to go within one point of the set win but fires his return into the net.
Marozsan leads Nardi 5-2 in the opening set on Court 8. He is now looking to close this one out.
Thanks Daniel! Tiafoe takes the first set 6-4 against Safiullin with a clever volley. Meanwhile, Cerundulo leads Michelsen 4-2 in the second.
As for Significantly-Sized Foe, he leads Safiullin 4-3 with a break, while Musetti leads Hanfmann 7-5 1-2. Otherwise, though, that’s it from me; here’s Emilia Hawkins to guide you through the next little bit. À demain!
Doubles from Michelsen surrender his break and Cerundolo now leads 6-1 1-2 on serve.
Just in time, a look at Mr Matchy-Matchy. What are we calling this colour, then? It feels a little dark to be sky blue…
Photograph: Christophe Petit-Tesson/EPA
I take my eyes off Michelsen and of course he breaks, a set down but now 2-0 up on Cerundolo (Jean Manuel, not Facundo). I love how hard he competes, and fancy him to find a way in this match.
Tiafoe is playing nicely, up 3-2 on Safiullin and still with a break. I can’t, though, find a full-length snap of his rig; apologies, but hopefully soon.
Opelka, back from injury, has beaten Hijikata 1-6 6-3 7-5 7-6(3). Next for him, Mariano Navone, who will represent a sterner test.
Musetti, who made the last four of last year’s Wimbledon and won Olympic bronze, holds to take the first set against Hanfmann 7-5. His two tour titles both came on clay.
It’s taken a while, but Musetti has just broken Hanffman for 6-5 in the first, while Cerundolo has nabbed he first set off Michelsen 6-3.
Tiafoe – or Big Foe as his necklace describes him, I think because he’s big and has Foe in his name – was a fantastic junior. I remember Coach Calv telling me he’d seen someone brilliant and it was he, but he’s not developed as hoped. Though he’s got lots of talent, he struggles to string together good matches and clay isn’t his favourite surface; he has, though, improved his return in recent times and breaks Safiullin for 1-0.
Goodness me, Tiafoe is very matchy-matchy today. Photo as soon as I get it.
Hanfmann is a solid pro and, having come through qualifying, it’s no great surprise he’s giving Musetti aggravation, up 5-4 in the first. Earlier in the set, medics rushed on to court to help a woman screaming in agitation; hopefully she’s OK.
Cerundolo has broken Michelsen and leads 3-1 in the first; Hanfmann leads Musetti 4-3 in the first; leading Stefanini 6-4 5-4, Teichmann is serving for a second-round match against Sabalenka; and Carreno Busta leads Comesana 6-2 6-6 (2-1).
Next on Chatrier: Francis Tiafoe (15) v Roman Safiullin.
Mpetshi Perricard feels great to have won his first match at his home Slam and thanks for crowd for supporting him. He seems a really nice lad and plans to sleep for the next two days in order to recover from a tough match. I’m not sure he can go deep on clay, but he can certainly cause damage and perpetrate entertainment.
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (31) beats Zizou Bergs 4-6 6-3 7-6(5) 6-4
It went quickly at the end but that was a really fun contest. Mpetshi Perricard could develop into something proper and, in the meantime, faces Tirante or Dzumhur next; currently, Tirante leads 6-3 4-5 on serve.
Bergs slices wide and, at 2-1 5-4, Mpetshi Perricard has match point…
Opelka, taking a pause from making America great again, has won the third set 7-5 to lead Hijikata 2-1, while Shnaider leads Sobolieva 5-1
Musetti and Hanfmann are 2-2 in the first; Cerundolo holds to lead Michelsen 1-0.
A drop from Bergs makes 15-all, then a serve-drop-lob combo looks set to take Mpetshi Perricard to within two points of victory, only for him to make a mess of the third shot, facilitating the easy put-away. And when Bergs makes 15-40, the big Frenchman nets a simple forehand, and we’re back on serve in the third!
A forehand hooked long and Mpetshi Perricard breaks Bergs for 5-3 in the fourth! He’ll now serve for the match…
Michelsen, remember, beat Tsitsipas and Khachanov en route to the fourth round in Melbourne. Clay is far from his favourite surface and he’s playing an expert, but if he serves well he’ll be hard to beat.
Musetti and Hanfmann are underway on Chatrier and I’m watching that; I’ll also get on to Michelsen v Cerundolo when that begins.
Mariano Navone beats Brandon Nakashima (28) 7-6(2) 4-6 6-1 6-2
In the end, something of a kicking, and no one will be surprised to see the clay-courter progress. Next for Navone it’s Opelka or Hijikata; they’re level at 1-1 4-4.
I’ve been writing these blogs for over a decade now, and can’t believe it’s taken me this long to note how much Jim Courieay looks like Bastian Schweinsteiger.
After a break between sets, Mpetshi Perricard and Bergs are back under way, level at 1-1 in the third. Navone, meanwhile, is serving for the match against Nakashima at 2-1 5-2.
Navone is almost shot of Nakashima, up 2-1 4-2. His clay-court smarts have been a bit too much since Nakashima levelled the match at one set all.
Next on Mathieu: Diana Shnaider (11) v Anastasiia Sobolieva.
Tommy Paul (12) beats Elmer Møller (L) (5)6-7 6-2 6-3 6-1
Moller started well and his backhand is a helluva shot. But Paul is a helluva player and next for him is Fucsovics.
A top-spin forehand whip-cracked flat into the corner, and Mpetshi Perricard has set point at 6-5! A fault follows, so he moves wider, looking to give his forehand room … and a second fault means he won’t need to use it! From 0-5 down he takes the breaker 7-5 for 2-1, and Bergs will be mentally barfing up his soul!
Now then! At 5-3, Bergs perhaps goes a little safe, guiding a backhand volley to the forehand corner, but even then, Mpetshi Perricard’s winner is unexpected, a forehand cracked from the back, and seconds later it’s 5-5! Incredible scenes!
At 0-5, Mpetshi Perricard thunders down an ace that’s harder than Geoff Horsfield, then adds another. He couldn’t, could he?
A lovely, disguised drop gives Bergs an immediate mini-break, then Mpetshi Perricard directs a stretch-volley into the cord and will it drop … no. The Belgian leads 3-0 … 4-0!
A mahoosive serve down the T makes it 1-1 6-6, and Mpetshi Perricard has earned a breaker to settle his third set against Bergs. I guess I’d back him in it because he’s got the biggest serve, but the margins are slim.
Next on Chatrier: Musetti (8) v Hanfmann (Q),
Reilly Opelka might be settling on the clay. He’s serving to level his match against Rinky Hijikata at a set apiece, while Navone has taken the third off Nakashima 6-1 and Paul leads Moller 2-1 3-0.
Qinwen Zheng (8) beats Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 6-3
A topsy-turvy match with a lot of thwacking, but it always looked like Zheng would find a way. Next for her it’s Eala or Arango, Arango up 1-0 in the third with a break.
From 0-30, Zheng makes 30-all, then Pavlyuchenkova nets and the no 8 seed has match point…
Oh dear, oh dear. With plenty of time to get nicely under an overhead, Pavlyuchenkova snatches at it, butchering long, and at 6-4 5-3, Zheng will now serve for the match. The Russian just can’t sustain her best stuff.
Again, Pavlyuchenkova breaks back, but can she hold? She wafts a forehand long at 40-30 then slaps another beyond the line; a big serve out wide saves her. And on Lenglen, we’re also playing a protracted game, Mpetshi Perricard looking to break at 1-1 4-4; Bergs does well to make deuce from advantage down.
Bergs breaks Mpetshi-Perricard back right away for 1-1 3-3, while Zheng re-breaks Pavlyuchenkova for 6-4 4-2. Here’s the latter enjoying the company of Sloane Stephens.
And here’s the rest of the ruckus:
