The first part of the job has been completed: Daniil Medvedev has survived the first week of Wimbledon and is now about to experience Manic Monday for the first time in his career. And the last, actually. As of next year, there will be play on the middle Sunday and so there will be no need to have all fourth round matches played on the same day. But we digress…

Where were we? Ah, yes. Medvedev earned his ticket to the fourth round with a 6-7 (3), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 win over Marin Cilic, a three hour, 36-minute marathon of twists and turns and moments of madness.

“It was an unbelievable match,” Medvedev said. “It was the first time I came back from two sets down to win. What is amazing is two times here in Wimbledon, I was two sets down and two times I came back and had a break in the fifth set and lost the match. So going to the toilet after the fourth set, I was like, I’m not going to let this one be another one of those. So I’m just really happy.

“At 5-0 in the fifth set, I have to be honest: I felt like, OK, 5-0, 40-0, it’s done. The match is done. Then it becomes 5-2 and I’m like ‘wow’. Again? But Marin is an amazing player. For the first two sets he basically played better than me, destroyed me. So I’m really happy to come back and win the match.”

Coming into The Championships, both men had won a grass court trophy, Medvedev in Mallorca and Cilic in Stuttgart. Their confidence was running high and they had made it through to the middle Saturday more or less unscathed (both had dropped a set but it was nothing to panic about). Life was looking good, then.

Except that both men had a point to prove. For Medvedev, the No.2 seed and a US Open and Australian Open finalist, he wanted to get into the second week for the first time; he wanted to a part of the conversation as we approached the business end of the tournament.

And there was the No.1 ranking on the line, too. It may have been a mathematical rather than a realistic chance to usurp Novak Djokovic at the top – but it was a chance nonetheless. But he would need to get to the final for it to happen.

For Cilic, the 2014 US Open champion and the finalist at Wimbledon 2017 and the Australian Open 2018, he wanted to show that he was back in the mix. Three years ago, he was the world No.3; today he is the world No.37. He still has a thumping serve, pounding groundstrokes and metronomic precision when he gets into his groove, but he has little to show for it of late. This was his opportunity to change that.

The result was the tensest of tense opening sets. Neither man could afford to make a mistake; neither man dared to go on the attack for fear of leaving themselves open to a counterattack. And then Cilic broke for a 4-2 lead. Was this the moment? Would this be the opening of the flood gates? Er, no. Medvedev broke straight back courtesy of a Cilic double fault and on we went to the tie-break.

When Cilic took that decider for the loss of just three points, he looked to be in charge. He was dominating from the back of the court and simply looking like a man who was far more comfortable on the grass than his opponent. But it was not to last.

The clock had ticked past the 100 minute mark when, at last, Medvedev got the breakthrough he was looking for – he snaffled the Cilic serve. He was ahead in the third set and from there he did not look back. He broke at the start of the fourth set and marched purposefully towards the fifth.

Meanwhile, up in the stands a man in an England shirt was looking edgy. We were moving towards 8pm and there was still plenty of life in this match yet. His dearly beloved was focused intently on the two 6ft 6in powerhouses below; he had that look on his face that suggested he dare not look at his watch much less his phone to check on pre-match news before kick-off in the England-Ukraine Euro 2020 quarter-final or he would be in trouble. Sometimes, love hurts.

The start of the fifth set was slightly chaotic. Medvedev went for a bathroom break – his third of the match – and Cilic was unimpressed. He came back and took his place on the baseline. And then when Cilic walked towards him, he realised he was at the wrong end of the court. Oh, oops.

Nipping down to the other end, he immediately stopped proceedings because the sun was now blinding him. It was reflecting off some glass two-thirds of the way up the stands behind Cilic. Could the match stop for a minute until the sun moved? No.

Did he have a cap, the umpire suggested. He ferreted about a bit in his kitbag and found one. He tried it for a point and then abandoned it – “It doesn’t work,” he told the umpire as he sped by her chair to deposit the offending headwear. And all the while, Cilic’s serve was becoming more and more brittle. First blood to Medvedev.

The world No.2 was now motoring. Cilic’s chance had come and gone while the Russian had settled into his rhythm and had established a 5-0 lead. Cilic clawed it back to 5-2 but that is as far as he got.

Medvedev was through to play Hubert Hurkacz on Monday, Cilic was on his way home and the man in the England shirt was running as fast as his legs would carry him to the nearest pub to watch the second half of the Euro 2020 quarter-final. It had been quite a day.

Click here to join myWimbledon for a range of exclusive benefits, including access to tickets and the ability to personalise your digital experience with us.

Following along from home this year?

You can still experience the classic Wimbledon atmosphere on the Virtual Hill, presented by our Official Partner American Express.

Register now to visit and win daily prizes, including tickets to The Championships 2022.