The long walk from Porte d’Auteuil down to Roland Garros is a quiet one in the muggy Paris conditions this evening. But as you get a peak of Court Philippe Chatrier, suddenly there is a brush of colour down the streets.

More than two hours before the session even starts, you can start to see the Algerian fans with football shirts and carrying flags. They’re queueing up to get inside the property.

The latest defence of Khelif from a former opponent has come from Anja Stridsman.

The Australian said: “I do remember people saying to me: ‘Oh, she looks like a bloke,’ you know? ‘You’re fighting a bloke,’ which I think is quite ignorant and stupid.

“I remember not being very impressed with her, thinking that she wasn’t using her reach, you know? She didn’t have a good jab,” Stridsman said, before adding that Khelif has improved since they fought.

Amy Broadhurst, who beat Khelif in the welterweight final of the 2022 Women’s World Championships, defended the Algerian on social media last week.

“Have a lot of people texting me over Imane Khelif,” Broadhurst wrote on Twitter/X. “Personally I don’t think she has done anything to ‘cheat’.

“I think it’s the way she was born and that’s out of her control. The fact that she has been [beaten] by nine females before says it all.”

Who are the IBA? Below is some useful background in the saga surrounding Khelif.

Here’s all you need to know about the controversial body, which has faced concerns over corruption, finances, and links to Russia:

After beating Carini, Khelif defeated Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori via unanimous decision.

Before the fight, Hamori said on social media: “In my humble opinion, I don’t think it’s fair that this contestant can compete in the women’s category.

“But I cannot concern myself with that now. I cannot change it, it’s life. I can promise you one thing… I will do my best to win and I will fight as long as I can!”

Hamori also said she was “not scared” of Khelif and shared a controversial image on Instagram, initially posted by another social-media account, of a cartoon monster facing off with a female boxer.

The controversy really escalated after Khelif’s first match, which lasted just 46 seconds.

Her opponent, Angela Carini, withdrew from the bout after one significant punch from Khelif and soon broke down in tears.

Carini later said she had “never been hit so hard” in her life.

However, as the week progressed, the Italian did apologise to Khelif.

Before Khelif even stepped in the ring in Paris, there was scrutiny of her Olympic campaign.

The same applied to Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who is in her own gold-medal match at featherweight this weekend.

The origin of this particular tempest can be traced back to 2022.

We take you back to the beginning, and explain how Khelif arrived at this moment, and what comes next…

Tonight’s welterweight final between Khelif and Liu is scheduled for 10:51pm local time (9:51pm BST).

Khelif vs Liu is the fourth and final bout of the session (which starts at 9.30pm local time; 8.30pm BST) and follows the men’s heavyweight gold-medal fight – between Azerbaijan’s Loren Berto Alfonso Dominguez and Uzbekistan’s Lazizbek Mullojonov.