On Ashe, Medvedev [3] and Balazs will soon be away; Boulter breaks Parry immediately then consolidates for 6-4 2-0, and she’s making this look very comfy; Fils lost the first set to Griekspoor but leads 3-0 in the second; and Jarry, seeded 23, leads Van Assche, a potential star of the future, 6-3 1-1.

Jabeur has indeed been a bit ill since arriving in New York but she holds for 5-5 then makes 30-40; a battle of the slices ensues, but Osorio eventually hits a forehand long and she’ll be raging to have retrieved two breaks only to ruin it all with an unforced error – not her first of the game. Ons, who still doesn’t look happy, will now serve for the set at 6-5.

I say this a lot, but imagine Mario Berrettini with a drive backhand! That’s the only thing preventing him winning a Slam, but goiven he doesn’t seem likely to acquire the former, he’s equally unlikely to happen upon the latter.

There was a bit of coughing and nose-blowing, but we’re back under way; let’s hope she’s OK. Elsewhere, Zverev leads Vukic 6-4and Berrettini seals a 6-4 set against Humbert with an ace; of course he does.

Great work from Boulter, who races through a love hold, sealed with a big forehand, for a 6-4 set. Back on Armstrong, though, Jabeur, having lost four games on the spin to trail Osorio 4-5, has the trainer out. I’m not totally sure what the issue is, but I think it’s illness rather than injury. If they’d only turn the blasted PA down, we might be able to hear what’s being said.

Berrettini secures a tight hold for 5-3 and looks to have too much for Humbert, whose swinging leftiness isn’t currently enough, while Zverev has broken Vukic again and now leads 5-3. On Grandstand, meanwhile, Alexandrova and Fernandez are at 4-4 while, on 4, Rinderknech is 6-3 up on the previously resurgent Schwartzman.

Boulter and Parry swap holds such that Boulter will serve for the first set at 5-4 following a little sit-down.

Suddenly, Ons is struggling, serving at 4-3 and deuce, then when Osoria forces advantage, a forehand banged long and the double-break is retrieved! She’s got plenty of time to work her way out of this, but perhaps her Wimbledon hangover has reappeared on account of the major vibes.

Aha, you can stream any match on any court via the Sky Sports app, but you can’t, i don’t think, have two windows and therefore two matches playing on the same device. Won’t someone please think of the livebloggers?

Look at Katie Boulter! Three winners in a game and she breaks for 4-3!

Osorio raises two points for one break back, but Jabeur claims the first with a big forehand cross-court, then elicits an error on the second. Osorio, though, is into this match now and forces advantage, the pressure telling when ons nets the kind of volley you don’t ever think she’ll miss. 4-2 it is.

Parry plays a decent drop at 15-30 but can’t convert into a point, and Boulter holds for 3-3 in the first. Jabeur, meanwhile, is serving at 4-1 having broken again

On Boulter, Calv Betton, our resident coach says: “She’s got decent flat groundstrokes and her first serve is OK. She also competes really well and is a really nice girl, but I just don’t rate her that much.”

On 17, 12-seeded Zverev broke Vukic immediately … but as I type, Vukic breaks back. Meantime, Griekspoor, seeded 24, leads Fils 2-1 with a break, and Osorio is on the board against Jabeur, 1-2 and a break down.

On Court 5, Berrettini – as brutal a floater as you’ll find – has already broken Humbert, seeded 29, and leads 2-0, while Osorio nets to give Jabeur 1-0, also with a break, and Boulter holds through deuce for 1-1 against Parry.

Boulter and Parry have met once, earlier this year in Indian Wells; Boulter won 4 and 2.

And off we go…

Ah in less good context: it may be that I can only watch one match at a time. If so, I’m on the Ons match and the Boulter match. I guess it’s good for people who’d otherwise have paid for Amazon, having already paid for Sky, that coverage is back on the latter, but if we can’t watch all the matches we want, it’s a way less good service.

Ah man, it’s great to see Martina on our screens and looking in good health. And how unsurprising to learn that she approached Jabeur after the Wimbledon final offer reassurance that a major is coming. She does, though, note that you never really get over defeats of that ilk. Ouch.

Looking at our early matches, I reckon I’ll start off watching Jabeur [5] v Osorio, Alexandrova [22] v Fernandez and Boulter v Parry and see how we go.

Preamble