In a mere two months, Emma Raducanu has captured the imagination of the British public like no tennis player from these lands has since a certain Andy Murray made his breakthrough in 2005.
First Wimbledon, now the US Open where the qualifier faces Maria Sakkari tonight for a shot at unthinkable Grand Slam glory. But, if you looked close enough, the signs of a major breakthrough were subtly apparent.
Last year, at the Battle of the Brits event at the National Tennis Centre in south London, Raducanu came up against Murray in a mixed doubles clash. Break point down, second serve, the teen could have buckled against a three-time major winner ready to pounce.
Emma Raducanu came up against Andy Murray in a mixed doubles match last August
The 18-year-old qualifier has stunned the tennis world by reaching the US Open semi-finals
What happened next? Murray blinked first. Locked in a cross-court trade, the then-17-year-old smoked a backhand deep in the court, triggering Murray to net timidly with a backhand of his own.
Needless to say, not many saw that coming. Certainly not fellow British players on the sideline, who weren't about to pass up the chance to have a firm dig in the Scot's direction.
British No 5 Liam Broady quipped, 'That's way too heavy for Andy!' while doubles player Dom Inglot bellowed: 'Andy's worst nightmare: Emma Raducanu!' Sure, it was a jovial moment. And sure, it was just one rally. But there it was: the power and composure needed to become a champion.
The pair crossed paths again later on in the year, during the off-season in December, this time indoors at the NTC. Murray's coach, Jamie Delgado, compared Raducanu's ability from the back of the court to a Japanese player who made her own ascent to stardom in New York three years ago.
'Andy is a big fan of Emma and thinks she's an excellent player,' he told The Times this week.
'I remember Andy hitting with Naomi Osaka in Brisbane in 2018 and her intensity and ball-striking was so impressive. Emma reminded me of her…
'It was the first time she had practiced with Andy and obviously there are going to be nerves. But with Andy hitting it really hard on a fast-ish indoor court, her ability to hit back with interest made it clear that she had something special.'
That 'something special' has been evident throughout the summer, not least stateside where a quite unbelievable two weeks has seen Raducanu win eight matches - including three in qualifying - without dropping a single set.
She has not even been stretched to a tie-break. Forget the fact she's come from a field of 256 players down to just four - her domination in that journey has been nothing short of remarkable.
Her focus
