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If Cirstea can keep holding, the set’ll come down to a few points here and there, but up 40-15 she invites pressure by going long on the forehand … then closes out the game with a serve out wide and clean-up swing-volley. Andreeva leads 6-0 1-2.

This is, of course, a sad day for all ADHD-types – no longer can our eyes dart around three or four screens, various matches compartmentalised into various parts of brain, while merging into one in another. But what an opportunity to hyper-focus and fully immerse into what we hope will be a succession of epics … in which regard Cirstea has closed from 40-0 to 40-30 with the help of a lovely backhand winner and a double, then Andreeva goes long and do we got ourselves a ball-game? Er, well a forehand winner is followed by an ace – the umpire has to check the mark as both players thought it was wide – and we’re level at 1-1 in set two.

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Potapova, having lost five games in a row, makes advantage on the Kalinskaya serve, a pair of backhands, one cross then another down the line, seizing the break to trail 4-6 1-0. Neither player is really at it here, meaning the match is there for whichever of them can stay composed.

On Chatrier, Svajda is improving, surviving to break points for lead 2-1 in set two, having lost the first 6-2. If he can attack Cobolli’s second serve and backhand, he might yet make an impression in this match.

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Terrific return from Kostyuk, a backhand hooked on to the sideline for a winner … ruined by a forehand looped long; 15-all. A double follows, the misses by far enough to intimate nerves and reinforced by a wild forehand that donates two break-back points. And Kostyuk only needs one, a decent return forcing Swiatek to net, and she looks encouraged – rightly so, that felt like a tightening. It’s 5-5 in the first, and this might just mature into an epic.

“Every point is good, every point is high quality,” kvells Chrissy in commentary as murderous shots are traded from the back, Kostyuk overhitting to cede 15-40. But from there, she recovers to deuce, competing like an equal; for maybe the first time, she believes she can do this, a service winner raising advantage, but then she’s fractionally late on a backhand down the line and it’s just a little wide, Swiatek – whose return was good – nowhere near it. And from there, the birthday girl dominates the next point with forehands, making advantage, then elicits the error for the third break in row. At 5-4, she’ll now serve for the first set – just as Cirstea is at 5-3 in our other match, a netted volley ceding deuce.

The Brazilian teenager showed his title credentials by storming back from two sets down to keep Novak Djokovic waiting for a 25th grand slam title

Now then. Swiatek is brilliant at coaxing herself through the rounds, but she’ll not be happy to be broken immediately, Linette leading 2-0 … er, make that 2-1, the advantage immediately confiscated. Meantime, Rublev has also been broken, the serving that settled set one forsaking him in two, and that, really is the difference; he hammers his racket into the clay, which is better than doing so into himself, and he leads 7-5 1-3.

Borges, who’ll feel unlucky to have lost the first set, breaks Rublev immediately for 5-7 2-0, while Linette holds in game one of her clash with Swiatek.

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Back with Kouame, he’s up advantage, takes control of the next rally, and a deep backhand incites Vallejo to net on the forehand! The 17-year-old takes the first set 6-3, with two breaks, and Lenglen is jumping!

Kouame holds for 5-3, then makes 30-40 and set point; Vallejo saves it well, serving out wide then putting away a shoulder-high volley. But he’s soon down advantage, Kouame missing his backhand down the line to restore deuce, but Vallejo shanks his forehand so back round we go. Meantime, Jovic outlasts Navarro in a protracted game on 14, taking her sixth break point to leads 6-0 2-0. She’s taking an experienced top-10 talent to the absolute cleaners.

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Khachanov saves another break-back point but Trungelliti earns another and they swap loopy, high-bouncing forehands … until the underdog tries a drop. Khachanov hares in to return it but cedes initiative in the process, and though he then has a chance to finish the rally with a forehand, he overhits, and we’re back level at 5-5, Trungelliti saluting the crowd and enjoying his morning.

Bencic, serving at 40-15, comes in to meet a loopy return, and though she doesn’t finish the point, Mcnally dumps her riposte, and that concludes a 6-4 set, taken by the no 11 seed.

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Kouame holds for 6-6 in the first; he and Cilic will now play a first-set tiebreaker, and I’d not be at all surprised if the 17-year-old took it. I’m almost tempted to post one of my school reports from the same age just to make clear how ridiculous what he’s doing is.

On Chatrier, Sabalenka and Bouzas Maneiro are ready to start. Can the world no 1 win a major on a non-hard surface? I’m sure the answer is yes, but equally, I’m not sure it’ll be this one, this year.

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Brentford 2-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-3 Sunderland

Second-half goals from substitutes Mohamed Belloumi and Joe Gelhardt put Hull into the playoff final, where they’ll meet Middlesbrough or Southampton

The first leg saw some classic Grown Men action:

And for balance, here’s some classic Hull.

Wu Yize leads 13-12 going into the final session
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Shaun Murphy 7-10 Wu Yize (72-37) Shaun leaves a snick to left corner but wu’s radar isn’t booted up yet; it’s the fourth such shot he’s missed in the frame, all of them by a way – though he gets second prize of a fluked snooker. The escape, though, is straightforward and, on his next visit, Shaun can go at a long one … which he drains nicely, before tucking in behind the brown. And, with the final red defended by blue and black, if Wu misses he’s almost certain to leave a free ball … but he hits the big dog, so it’s seven away and back in … to sneak through a tiny gap, great work. This frame is on a rolling boil now, the youngster botching yet another long pot – one you really expect him to take – punished with a snooker behind the pink, close to the side, with the red down the rail. Wu will need to deploy the swerve here, but he doesn’t get anywhere near with his first two goes, seeking to come off the bottom cushion, so he tries the side and hits the blue. The penalty points are piling up here, another miss takes Wu to within a foul of needing all the balls to tie … and it duly arrives, leaving a free ball. Shaun, though, refuses it, Wu finally hits, and the frame is almost over, the lead 35 with 35 left.

Shaun Murphy 7-10 Wu Yize (39-37) Shaun gets a red off the side then goes to remove another off the blue, but misses it by a way; end of break. So he sends a ball down the table, using the black to block off the white, and Wu’ll have to go some to hit either target, never mind get it safe; he plays it well, and this frame is maturing into a crucial battle of wits and skill.

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Wu to break…

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An affirming feature of Cup competitions is getting to enjoy clubs, players, managers and supporters enjoying and detesting their biggest game in generations. But what is much rarer is to have two teams, from neighbouring regions, competing against each other in a contest which means that much to both, and is vitally important in its own right.

The specific dynamics of our match this evening are also special. Villa are the superior team, fifth in the league having spent much of the campaign higher – there was, briefly, talk of a title challenge – but they’ve struggled in recent months and arrive at this evening in spotty form. Forest, meanwhile, are the inferior team, 16th in the league having spent much of the campaign lower – there is, still, talk of a relegation battle – but they’ve improved in recent weeks and arrive at this evening in top form.

Virgil van Dijk’s added-time winner gave Liverpool a crucial victory in the first derby at Everton’s new home

Otherwise, Florian Wirtz is again given a chance to assert and establish – the numbers and profiles behind him, more defensively minded, offer him yet some ballast, but does he have the necessary speed of thought and play, along with the required combativeness, to make a difference?

The problem he has is that he replaced two full-backs who were better in attack than defence, with … two full-backs who are better in attack than defence. Essentially, he doesn’t have a combination that works, so has prioritised solidity and experience here, the new lads excluded. That means Dominic Szoboszlai again plays at the back, which means Liverpool must do without their best midfielder in the centre of the pitch; I guess the plan might be for him to invert, but otherwise Slot will hope that the ball-carrying and tenacity of Curtis Jones compensate.

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And there looks to be a more solid look about the side he’s sent out, with players in their natural positions. In particular, I like the legs in midfield, though I’m still concerned about where the goals might come from – none of the front three can reliably create for themselves, and there’s a lack of wingers and invention around and behind them.

All that said, I’m really looking forward to seeing how Spurs look, having had a couple of weeks to absorb new instructions. I very much doubt De Zerbi leaves things alone for fear of confusing them – I’d expect his instructions to be the pro forma, from now.

From Wozniacki’s sweet relief to Tardelli’s intense scream via Garrincha’s mesmeric dribbling and more

The pain of failure, both professional and personal, is one we all know well. We have ambitions and plans, backed by evidence and rationale, which prove why our life should work out … then it doesn’t.

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On the one hand, he did well to coax a title out of a squad whose best players are ageing; on the other, it was Jürgen Klopp’s team and it relied upon Mo Salah delivering half a season of dead-cat bounce brilliance that had little to do with anyone’s tactics.

And as for this season, who signed off on all the summer business? Changing five players is never going to be seamless, but ignoring the major weaknesses in the squad – the middle of defence and the middle of midfield – to splurge on an attack that didn’t need that level of refreshment, was a colossal error.

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Villa, meantime, will look to keep a low block, I expect, with Chastity Grant and Lucia Kendal breaking quickly and seeking to create for Kirsty Hanson. Villa currently sit eighth in the table, but will see sixth as still within reach.

So where is the game? Chelsea will look to play into Kerr and, if they can, get her turned and running either in behind or with the ball. while James wanders off the left in support. To make that happen, they’ll use Keira Walsh to control the pace of the game, with Kaptein and Nusken in particular bombing on.

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At Tottenham, Forest now lead 2-0; at Villa Park, Villa now lead West Ham 2-0.

Physically, the edge is with Arsenal, especially in midfield. Rodri may never recapture the power and pace which made him one of the best in his position, while Bernardo never it. They’ll look to control the tempo of the game and have the passing and smarts to do it, but it’s a tricky endeavour with Declan Rice charging about.

Forest made their first European quarter-final in 30 years, wining 2-1 on the night and 3-0 on penalties to set up a last-eight meeting with either Porto or Stuttgart

Question: what is the exact thing the Premier League – and wider world of football – does not need?

Answer: this.

Bernardo Silva was sent off for handball and Vinicius Jr scored the resultant penalty, then added another in injury time, with Erling Haaland bagging between times

On the telly, they’re talking about this game. It’s up there with Juventus 2-3 Man United as the best European performances British teams have delivered in my lifetime.

Email! “Pep’s kinda washed and we should just say it,” says Christopher Flaherty. “Hemming and hawking about staying, no clear vision for the future ... further decline is more likely than another revolution.”