Rafael Nadal v Frances Tiafoe: Australian Open quarter-final – live!

First set: Nadal* 6-3 Tiafoe Tiafoe has Nadal on the defensive at 15-15 but tries an angled drop-volley and doesn’t quite nail the angle. Nadal ends the first set with his 100% record on first serve intact (15/15), winning the game and the set at the end of the match’s first rally of any length, the crowd unable to control the buzz of excitement as the players trade blows before Nadal eventually finds a forehand winner.

First set: Nadal 5-3 Tiafoe* Tiafoe wastes no time between serves. He reaches his mark, bounces the ball twice, and off he goes. He could perhaps do with slowing things down just a little, because this match seems to be happening at wild speed. He tries a couple of drop shots here, and though Nadal reaches both he loses the second point, and with it the game, by trying to blast a backhand winner crosscourt and overhitting, when a little more finesse might have served him better. Not that I’m criticising, obviously.

First set: Nadal* 5-2 Tiafoe And another straightforward hold. Nadal has yet to lose a point after landing his first serve, and the one he surrendered with an unforced error at 40-0 was just the second he has lost from six attempts at a second serve. There haven’t been many extended rallies as yet.

First set: Nadal 4-2 Tiafoe* Since breaking Tiafoe’s serve Nadal hasn’t won a point on it. He holds to love again.

First set: Nadal* 4-1 Tiafoe At 15-15 Tiafoe comes forward to take the second serve early, and keeps going to the net. Nice idea in theory, but the ball whistles back past him before he’s remotely ready. Nadal holds to 15.

First set: Nadal 3-1 Tiafoe* So what do you do, when your opponent has blasted you off court in an opening 10-minute salvo of great power and bewildering quality? Start with two unreturnable serves, and keep up the pressure from there. Tiafoe gets on the board by holding to love himself.

First set: Nadal* 3-0 Tiafoe Nadal holds to love again. This is vicious. Brutal. Eight minutes played, three games won.

First set: Nadal 2-0 Tiafoe* Tiafoe makes his own statement with his first serve of the match, which flies down the middle for an ace. But when given a chance to return Tiafoe’s serve Nadal does so with interest, and after a single deuce he wins his first break point with a barrage of groundstrokes of impeccable depth and power.

First set: Nadal* 1-0 Tiafoe A statement of a start from Nadal, who serves two aces and holds to love in the blink of an eye.

Hello world!

Right, not a lot of time for chit-chat. Nadal and Tiafoe have never played before; Stefanos Tsitsipas awaits the winner. Nadal won the toss, and will serve.