Slight delay at the start of the third set. Aljaz Bedene has called on the trainer. Time-delaying tactic? Novak reckons so. Turns out the Briton's contact lense is giving him a bit of bother. Plenty of us have been there Aljaz...it's a nightmare. Especially when the lense disappears underneath your top eyelid. Anyone else done that? Makes me shudder thinking about it...

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Right then, Djokovic has the ball in his left hand. He's serving for the second set. And the world number one is not messing about between points. Think he wants this one finished before dusk falls in Paris. His fourth ace of a dimming evening tees up two set points...but he needs just one. Bedene goes rogue with a sloppy forehand that slides down the tramlines.

This is a game that neither man wants to win. Djokovic tosses away four break points, Bedene finally wrestling back the momentum. A blistering ace and a solid fistpump later, he's still in the set...

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What do you do when the game's greatest returner is awaiting your serve? Whack one down and hope for the best I'd imagine. Bedene can only stand back and applaud a brilliant Djokovic backhand which slides away from his despairing dive. That's 15-15. Bedene refocus to move 40-15 ahead, only for Djoko to come roaring back. A feathered drop-shot and we're going into deuce...

Paul Newman
Tennis correspondent for the Independent on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

"That was a terrific comeback. His body language when he was broken, it looked like things were getting to him for the first time but he didn't play like that.

"He played a lovely lob to get to break point and he finished it off in real style."

This is more like it! Maybe blasting your racquet into the ground works a treat after all*

Aljaz Bedene gets his head back on the task in front of him, producing some wonderful tennis to break Novak Djokovic's serve. Chatrier on his side, now he just has to hold his own serve to avoid losing the second set...

*Don't do it kids

Paul Newman
Tennis correspondent for the Independent on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

"Two or three of Djokovic's returns were fantastic. They were hit very low and very deep so Bedene was almost playing half volleys on the baseline. How you play those I don't know."

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That piles the pressure back on to Bedene's shoulders - and he buckles. Djokovic's forehand is relentless, making deep incisions into the Briton's defence. Few people on this planet would be able to cope with these. Bedene loses his cool - as well as the game - threatening to smash his racquet into the red clay. He stops, then decides to release his anger in this manner anyway...

Aljaz Bedene is playing some good stuff here. The only problem is that Novak Djokovic is staring back at him from across the net. Ah...I've jinxed him. The Briton squanders a 40-15 lead with a pair of weak forehands which introduce ball with net. Deuce...

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Another Djokovic service game...another blink-and-you'll-miss-it hold. Bedene barely sticks a string on the ball as the Serb has a power surge.

Paul Newman
Tennis correspondent for the Independent on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

"That break illustrates the difference between these two players. Djokovic was 15-40 down in the first game but plays two good points and goes on to hold; Bedene at 15-40 down makes a mistake and Djokovic breaks."

Bedene puffs out his cheeks after eyeballing a forehand into the tramlines. That hands two break points to the top seed, who snaffles these chances like a hungry wolf. The Serb needs just the one chance, Bedene handing it on a plate as he overcooks a cross-hand backhand.

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That's enough of that...Novak Djokovic sticks his toe to the ground, accelerating away from his British opponent quickly. He does zero to 40 in about 30 seconds, edging past the finish line as Bedene can't find the target with a sloppy backhand,

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Impressive service game from Aljaz Bedene - even Novak Djokovic is impressed. The world number one warmly smacks his racquet with his hand as Bedene wraps up a comfortable hold with a thumping ace.

Sartorial style isn't Djokovic's only problem. The bloke up the other end is causing a few problems. Bedene tees up a couple of break points at the first attempt, only for Djokovic to crank up the intensity and hold after deuce. 

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Djokovic seems to be wearing the same rose-red polo shirt that he had on in the first set. Maybe he just wanted the attention from the swooning crowd. Or maybe he has a pack of three shirts in his bag.

Paul Newman
Tennis correspondent for the Independent on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

"You sense the weather will be a major factor this week given the poor forecast. Without a roof it's hard to catch up with the schedule and players might find themselves playing four days in a row."

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Quick change of ends in the ever-so-slightly fading Paris daylight. And a quick change of top for Djokovic, which even brings a few wolfwhistles from the Chatrier crowd.

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Less beef, more finesse. Both players change tact...but it doesn't help Bedene. The British number two tries a deft lob at 15-30 that beats Djokovic and the baseline. 

Two set points for Djokovic. One...disappears when Bedene blasts down an ace. Two...doesn't disappear. Djokovic pounds a forehand close to Bedene's feet, which can't move quick enough to guide his return back to safety.

First blood to the world number one.

So here we are. Djokovic is a break away from taking the first set in little over half an hour...