An hour into Emma Raducanu’s startling third-round match at the US Open last year, she still, somehow, had not lost a single game. In the second grand slam event of her career, the 18-year-old had lined up against the eternally steady Sara Sorribes Tormo, a match-up that seemed destined to push Raducanu to her limits. Instead, the youngster tore her apart. Raducanu led 6-0, 5-0 with a match point on her opponent’s serve, then a game later, served out the win over her top 50-ranked opponent. With it, the idea of what she could really achieve in the following days began to shift.
“It was at that point I thought: ‘Whoa, hang on a minute,’” says Katie O’Brien, a former British No 1. “If you maintain this level she could be a real contender. I think we were all saying it a bit tongue-in-cheek. I’m not quite sure there was any substance behind those words.”
