Raducanu sets up Wimbledon third round clash with top seed Sabalenka
'That was the old Emma,' said the man from Auntie, urging the nation not to get too carried away while simultaneously dialling up the hyperbole to maximum. The current Emma Raducanu is, it should be noted, still only 22.
However, the British No. 1 was very good against Marketa Vondrousova, the champion here two years ago who recently confirmed her grass-court credentials with a win in Berlin.
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Raducanu dominated her opponent, never allowed the Czech to settle, and wrapped up the contest in brisk fashion — 6-3, 6-3 — to set up a third-round meeting with top seed Aryna Sabalenka.
These two met here four years ago, a match that the then 18-year-old Raducanu won to announce herself to the British sporting public. A few months later, she won the US Open. She will now hope this victory proves a similar trigger, even if the task ahead is considerably more daunting.
'I played really well. There were some points I have no idea how I turned around — I just kept fighting to stay in those rallies as long as I could,' said Raducanu.
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'She's won this tournament and is in really good form. I'm just so happy with how I competed and how focused I was. I had to be aggressive. If I just tried to push the ball around, Marketa would beat me all day long.
'It doesn't get any easier with Aryna next. She's No. 1 in the world for a reason and so dominant on the tour, but all I can do is control my side of the court when you play someone like her. I don't think there's any pressure on me.'
Raducanu is clearly enjoying being reunited with coaches Mark Petchey and Nick Cavaday, who played such a vital role in her development on the Lawn Tennis Association's talent pathway. Having gone through six permanent coaches since her triumph in New York, stability is overdue.
Her recent form is solid, if not spectacular, as she continues to manage a niggling back issue — the latest in a long line of injuries that have disrupted her progress since that famous victory.
The focus on Raducanu allows Sonay Kartal to fly under the radar, which the British No. 3 insists suits her fine.
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She reached the third round here for the second consecutive year, comfortably dispatching Viktoriya Tomova 6-2, 6-2 — a win that will likely propel her into the world's top 50. Next is French qualifier Diane Parry, a match Kartal will start as warm favourite.
With her boxy polo shirt, long shorts and myriad tattoos, Kartal prefers to do things her way and is in no hurry to be 'showy', happy instead to stay on No. 3 Court, where she has banked both her wins this week.
'On the court I'm pretty tunnel vision. I don't like to give much away,' she said. 'I like to keep calm and try to see out the match.
'In the last 12 months I've thrown myself onto the scene. This year I only wanted to play the bigger matches to get used to facing the best players on tour day in, day out. I feel like I'm playing better, with more confidence and freedom.
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'I wanted to back up the run I had last year. I didn't want people to think it was just one or two good weeks. I really wanted to show that I belong at this level and can produce. With each match on grass I'm growing in confidence. It was a very good day in the office.'
Katie Boulter's habit of failing to convert strong positions continued, as the British No. 2 edged a supercharged first-set tie-break but managed just three more games. Argentina's Solana Sierra won 6-7, 6-2, 6-1.
'That hurts. It's a tough pill to swallow. It always hurts more to lose at Wimbledon,' said Boulter.
'I know people have good expectations and I have high ones of myself too. I've got a lot to go back and work on. I really felt like she played a great match — she committed better than me and I couldn't quite control it.
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'I feel like my game suits these courts. I think I've got a lot of potential at Wimbledon, which makes it frustrating because I'm not quite bringing that out yet. I feel like I'm teetering on the edge and getting closer every year.'
For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website.
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