Emma Raducanu faces Elena Rybakina in the third round, in what is already tipped to be one of the matches of the US Open so far.
It pits the remarkable resurgent form of the British number one against the rock-solid ruthlessness of the former Wimbledon champion, and both have valid claims to be the favourite for the clash.
Of course, it will be the world number ten expected to win, but to discount Emma Raducanu would be foolish, particularly after how close she came to dethroning Aryna Sabalenka in Cincinnati earlier this month.
She is a player reborn, with her form and fitness finally settled.
And now, she has been given a key piece of tactical advice on how to trouble Rybakina.
Emma Raducanu told where to attack Elena Rybakina
Speaking on The Tennis Podcast, it was David Law who first sought to praise the form of Raducanu.
He began: “Yeah, this is the best we’ve seen from Emma Raducanu since she won the US Open. That’s my assessment. That’s four years ago.
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“She hasn’t won any matches in the US Open since then until this year, obviously, she was injured for one of those, but two first-round defeats.
“There’s just a confidence and clarity of thought to what she’s doing out there. She knows what’s coming off the racket. She’s confident in her body, it seems now. I don’t sense niggles or concern that her body’s going to break down.
“And this is the one we’ve been waiting for. The one that I always hoped, given enough time and given enough good health, could develop. Now I still think she’s got a long way to go in her work. She talked about how she feels that too.”
Then, touching on the Rybakina task that lies ahead, he admitted: “And it may be too early in the journey for her to knock off Elena Rybakina, who is just still one of the premium ball-strikers in the world. And even if Raducanu reaches her peak and is at her best, she could still lose to Elena Rybakina, and that is okay because Rybakina is that good.
“I think she does have a chance, because she’s such a clever match player, and I’m wondering how she gets the ball out of the strike zone of Rybakina, or gets her in a position where she can’t always hurt her.
“I don’t know whether she actually can. But if anybody can, she’s the type of player I think is able to, because I just think, as a constructor of rallies, she really knows what she’s doing. I’m fascinated to see how she gets on in this one.”
Matt Roberts then delivered his verdict, even pinpointing an area of Rybakina’s game that could be exploited: “And it was a portion of the Rybakina match today and the second set with her forehand really slightly spraying and letting her down, and that is the wing where sometimes she can break down.
“Basically, I’m completely in with David. I do think Raducanu will find ways to get the ball on the forehand and put it in slightly awkward positions.”
What happened the last time Emma Raducanu played Elena Rybakina?
Having played together in the Washington doubles, and with Rybakina revealing how she feels about Raducanu away from the court, there is a strange sense of camaraderie and mutual respect heading into the clash between the two opponents.
After all, they will both be well aware of the threats their adversary has at their disposal, with both having enjoyed fine runs over the last few months.
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However, interestingly, this will actually mark just their second career meeting against one another.
The first came over three years ago, when Rybakina put in a brutal performance to dispatch Raducanu, 6-0, 6-1.
So much has changed since then, with the latter having discovered a level of fitness that she has not had in years. This, alongside her revitalised form under Francisco Roig’s leadership, proves why this match has all the makings of a US Open classic.