British No.5 seed Jack Draper steps into the lions den that is Court Philippe-Chatrier when Gael Monfils is playing

Gael Monfils vs Jack Draper (5): Thursday 29 May, Court Philippe-Chatrier – not before 20:15

Gael Monfils under the lights with 15,000 Parisians cheering his every move – it’s what night matches at Roland Garros were made for.

After his five-set thriller against Hugo Dellien on Tuesday night, the loveable showman is back to take on the No.5 seed and the surprise package of the clay court season, Jack Draper.

Injury woes over the past couple of years meant that Draper arrived here having never won a match on the Paris clay. But since his low-key first round exit last year, he has grown in every way.

Fitter, stronger and more aggressive – a thumping left-handed serve and ferocious forehand do the damage while his rock-steady backhand creates the opportunities – he has forced his way into the upper reaches of the rankings in the past three months.

He cracked the top 10 by winning the Masters 1000 trophy in Indian Wells in March and moved into the top five by reaching the Masters 1000 final in Madrid. Add to that a quarter-final finish in Rome and Draper is now a fully-fledged clay court man.

“I’ve always liked the clay, always felt like my game suits it,” he said. “Maybe this year I’m physically better, and [have more] confidence and all that sort of stuff. I know I hadn’t won a match here, but I’m coming here wanting to go deep in the tournament. I have the confidence and I have the belief I can do that.”

Monfils knows what he is up against – he has known Draper for years.

“I always said Jack would be a top 10 player,” he said. “When he was a youngster, we played a lot in practice. I really like the kid. He’s a fantastic player. He’s a top five. He has a lot of weapons, a lot of weapons. He’s very gifted. It’s going to be a hard one. He’s in full confidence.”

The promising news is that Monfils is playing this night match at all. After taking a heavy fall at the very start of his last match – he cut both hands, thumped his knee and ricked his back – he said that he would only risk Thursday’s night session if he felt he was fit enough to finish a possible five-setter. Clearly he feels fit enough to do just that.

It’s Monfils, it’s Court Philippe Chatrier – it’s showtime.