• British No 1 falls to compatriot in three sets
• Novak Djokovic passes tough test against Jacob Fearnley

Jack Draper may well be the future of British men’s tennis but ­Cameron Norrie gave a timely reminder on Thursday that he is still around and, it seems, would quite like his ­British No 1 ­ranking back. In a match between the country’s top two, ­Norrie ­produced one of his best ­performances of the year as he clinched a 7-6 (3), 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory over the current No 1 to reach the third round for only the second time.

A semi-finalist two years ago, ­Norrie edged a tight first set thanks to a fast start in the tie-break. In the first clash between the British No 1 and No 2 in a grand slam event since Tim Henman beat Greg Rusedski at the Australian Open in 2002, Norrie’s greater ­grass-court experience and nous made the ­difference. He cruised through the second set and then recovered from 5-3 down in the third to wrap up a convincing victory.

• World No 1 beats fellow Italian 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-6 (4)
• Carlos Alcaraz beats Aleksandar Vukic in straight sets

Matteo Berrettini’s run through the Wimbledon draw to his maiden grand slam final in 2021 felt like a significant moment. Even though he lost to Novak Djokovic in the decisive match, Berrettini had already established himself as one Italy’s finest tennis players. After his defeat, Berrettini travelled straight from Wimbledon to Wembley where spent that night and the following days toasting to his success with the Italian team that had conquered Euro 2020.

Three years later, Berrettini’s success is a distant memory, a consequence of injuries, miserable luck and the flourishing greatness of his brilliant opponent on Centre Court. Jannik Sinner, who became the first ever Italian ATP No 1 last month, has since taken tennis in their country to unprecedented heights and on Wednesday afternoon, he reinforced the new status quo in a tense, high-quality tussle by producing three flawless tie-breaks under pressure to defeat Berrettini 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-6 (4) and reach the third round.

Compatriots talk of mutual respect and healthy rivalry before men’s and women’s all-British second round ties

Considering there were 18 home players in the main draws this year, that there should be a couple of all-British clashes at Wimbledon is no statistical surprise. But there is no doubt that Thursday will be a special day as the top-ranked British players meet one another in round two of the men’s and women’s singles. Jack Draper, the new No 1 British man, will take on the No 2, Cameron Norrie, while the women’s No 1, Katie Boulter, meets the No 2, Harriet Dart. Just call it the Battles of Britain.

In the Open era, which began in 1968, there have been 19 all-British clashes in the men’s singles and 38 in the women’s event. The most recent all-British meeting in the women’s singles, though, was in 2011, when Anne Keothavong beat Naomi Broady, while Murray’s win over Ryan Peniston last year was the most recent home clash in the men’s event.