Last night of the Poms or a superlative Saturday?

Konta has opportunity to see off Stephens again Singles draw was kind to three remaining Britons Dan Evans v Joao Sousa Sloane Stephens v Johanna Konta

Manic Monday is usually the Wimbledon ticket that everyone has their eye on: a unique smorgasbord of tennis that squeezes the last 16 of both men’s and women’s draws onto the All England Club’s show courts.

In 2019, though, Super Saturday might just have the edge. How often can we say that three Britons – Harriet Dart, Johanna Konta and Dan Evans – have survived into the third round of the singles events? Especially in a year when Andy Murray has opted for doubles.

Does this healthy quota of home hopes denote an upsurge in our tennis fortunes? Not exactly. The draw has never been so kind to the locals as it was on Friday, when the (relatively) unfortunate James Ward was the only Briton to start against an opponent ranked above No65 in the world.

Yes, the subsequent first-round winning ratio of 70 per cent (seven out of 10) was the highest in Wimbledon history. But to attribute this to any brilliant management on the part of the Lawn Tennis Association would be misleading.

This has been an erratic year for the LTA, especially with regard to the Murray family, who were unimpressed to have been omitted from a recent rebranding document. Unforced errors have outnumbered clean winners, even if the staging of two rounds of home Fed Cup matches – all of which produced dramatic victories – helped trigger a revival in Konta’s fortunes.

If the events strategy deserves a thumbs-up, performance remains a question mark. After a long gestation period, LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd – who began his reign on Jan 1, 2018 – has backed the foundation of two national academies, due to open in the new school year, which will cater to children aged from 11 to 15.

Opinion around the game is sceptical, particularly where the Stirling Academy – which has only two boys signed up and no outdoor courts – is concerned. Previous attempts to identify the best children at an early age have created a culture of entitlement, plus an us-and-them mentality in which the chosen ones are targeted by less celebrated rivals.

Admittedly, the vision – which performance director Simon Timson promises “will make Great Britain one of the most respected nations for tennis development by 2028” – deserves a chance to succeed before we write it off. Yet Cori Gauff will probably have won 15 grand-slam titles before an informed judgment can be made.

To return to the present, today’s British talent parade begins at 1pm with the Darty/barty Party on Centre Court. A purists’ dream, this one, for both players weave webs of strokeplay, rather than attempting to blast their opponents into next week. Ashleigh Barty, the world No1, has extraordinary hand skills.

The more significant match, in the context of the tournament, will pit Konta against Sloane Stephens in a rerun of last month’s quarterfinal at Roland Garros. That match on Court Philippe Chatrier – the Parisian equivalent of Centre – was as good a performance as Konta has produced in her entire career.

By the time Evans takes the stage against Joao Sousa, for the final scheduled match on No 1 Court, Henman Hill will no doubt be decked in red, white and blue picnic rugs, with champagne corks popping when he hits an ace. All this, and Murray still to come with his partner Pierre-hugues Herbert. With any luck, it will not prove to be the Last Night of the Poms. When Evans has hit a maximum of only two shots in the rally so far this tournament, he has won 44 more points than he has lost. When he has had to hit a third shot, he is minus three. Sousa, by contrast, has won only 14 more points than he has lost in rallies of 0-4 Konta has won all their three meetings to date, and should feel confident of doing so again today – assuming she plays the match on her own terms. Stephens’s game style is not suited to grass. Her average rally length at the tournament so far is 5.3 shots, compared to shots. So Evans needs to make every point as short as possible. He also needs to be aware that Sousa tries to hit as many forehands as possible by running around the backhand. A typically low first-serve percentage will allow Evans to be aggressive on the return. 3.4 for Konta, who has played half the number of nine or more shot rallies. Against Konta, Stephens will not be able to ease her way into points as she likes to do. Konta needs to keep the rallies short by going big early and taking Stephens out of her comfort zone.