Cameron Norrie holding on against Lucas Pouille at Roland Garros
It was 9.42pm when Cameron Norrie gleefully watched a forehand from Lucas Pouille fly long, causing their French Open second round to be suspended overnight.
So the British number three clings on against the French number one, clinging to hopes that he might be able to cause a considerable upset after staging a brave rearguard action at Roland Garros.
The match will resume on Thursday with Pouille, the number fifteen seed, leading 6-2 6-4 5-7, but as the scoreline indicates, the 23 year-old lefthander ranked 85 in the world was getting closer and closer.
Cameron Norrie held on against Lucas Pouille after their second round tie was suspended
The third set often threatened to get away from him before his spirited surge and he definitely finished the stronger of the two, despite appearing to have suffered from an upset stomach.
At 6-5 in the third with only ten minutes left of the natural light and the Frenchman squinting into the night air, he was gifted a series of mistakes that leaves him to fight another day.
Norrie had been obliged to sit around all day before his first taste of the big time at a Grand Slam, so long that by the time he entered the main Court Philippe Chatrier much of the crowd had gone home.
A backlog of matches meant it was nearly 8pm by the time he walked out to meet French number one Lucas Pouille in the second round, and might have wondered if it was worth the wait.
Play will resume on Thursday where Norrie will look to fight back and cause an upset
After being somewhat overwhelmed by Pouille's power in the first set he managed a break in the second set, calling the physio on when falling behind for 3-4 for apparent stomach pain.
In the absence of Jo Wilfried Tsonga and loss of form for other players Pouille assumes the role of the biggest domestic hope, although he was well beaten by Kyle Edmund in the recent Italian Open.
The pressure will be on him when they come back, but in only his third Major it will take a huge effort from Norrie to pull off an unlikely win.
Britain's two second round singles survivors, Heather Watson and Kyle Edmund, play one after the other today with a morning start (10am UK).
Pouille currently leads the match 6-2, 6-4, 5-7 and will be looking to see out victory
Heather Watson will face number sixteen seed Elise Mertens of Belgium, while Edmund will face Hungary's former Wimbledon junior champion Marton Fucsovics.
Watson won her opening doubles match alongside partner Tatjana Maria, but there was more disappointment for Jo Konta.
She is still without a win in the main draw at the French Open after serving for the match at 5-4 in the decider, before losing 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 with Alison Riske to Spain's Annabel Medina-Garrigues and Arantxa Parra Santonja.