Anisimova, one of the purest and most powerful hitters in the women’s game, is pushing hard on Potapova’s serve at 0-40, and despite being dragged back to deuce, she has another three break points … of which she takes absolutely none. And then she’s promptly broken to love. She’ll be kicking herself. She could be 2-1 up with the break but instead finds herself 2-1 down.

So what of their opponents today? Zheng has greater momentum than Keys coming into the third round. The former world No 4 has won five consecutive matches after coming through qualifying – her world ranking is currently No 121 as she works her way back after elbow surgery last year – and the last time she won five on the spin she claimed the Olympic singles title for China in 2024.

To the bemusement of Kasatkina herself, Potapova changed just two words of Kasatkina’s original before publishing the statement as her own: Australia to Austria and Melbourne to Vienna. Potapova was unapologetic about her lack of originality: “I don’t find anything wrong with that because you cannot say it in a better way. And why not? And, yeah, it was perfect words. I loved it. We loved it with my team, with everyone.”

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