Wimbledon 2024: Alcaraz, Raducanu and Gauff in third-round action – live

It’s easy to forget Andreescu was just 19 years old when she defeated Serena Williams in the 2019 US Open final. She has never been past the third round at Wimbledon, but she could be involved in a classic here, judging by the opening exchanges. Paolini has dug deep to force deuce, then a break point, and then Andreesu hits the net. Break back! 1-1

Some great ground shots from Andreescu force it to 15-40 on the Italian serve. A floating second serve is then brutally punished by the Canadian, who hits it down the line to break in the opening game. Wow.

I hear some whispers that there are patches of blue sky have been spotted above the All England Club. But don’t quote me on that.

We’re ready to rock and roll at number 1. Paolini will serve first.

Play will commence from 1pm (BST) on the outdoor courts after the rain but the roof is on Centre and No 1, the latter of which has just seen Jasmine Paolini and Bianca Andreescu come onto the field. They are now batting after a quick pep talk from the umpire.

This should be a good match. Paolini is in top form and a very likeable player, a revelation even, while Andreescu is making an almighty comeback after years of injuries.

Andy Murray had an emotional swan song he’ll never forget on Thursday night But his tournament isn’t over yet. Friday there’s a training session on the program, after which a mixed doubles match with Emma Raducanu will take place on Saturday.

Murray was in tears after watching a montage of the most memorable moments of his career, with tributes from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Venus Williams, before discussing his memories with Sue Barker. Per PA:

“It was really fun,” Murray said. “When the video came on, my head was spinning. I know I have to speak. It’s hard at times like that because there are a lot of people you want to thank and address. It was also quite emotional. It was fun watching the video, but also hard for me because it’s coming to the end of something you’ve loved doing for so long.

“But it was of course really nice that a lot of players stayed. I have a really close, good relationship with the British guys that were there, but there are also a number of players on that pitch that I have a huge amount of respect for, some of the best players in the history of the game. It feels like an end to me. Whether I deserve it or not, I don’t know. But they did a really, really good job.”

There is a cracker on Court One that opens at 1pmwhen No. 7 Jasmine Paolini takes on Bianca Andreescu, and fans should be treated to another treat when Grigor Dimitrov takes on Gaël Monfils. And then it’s the biggest match of Sonay Kartal’s career when the Brit takes on No. 2 Coco Gauff to round out the action there.

From one of our team members at SW19…

Preamble