Emma Raducanu is into the second round at the Cincinnati Open, where she will now face the unenviable task of playing Aryna Sabalenka once again.
It marks the second time these two will meet in as many months, having played out one of the matches of the tournament at Wimbledon in just the third round there.
During that clash, the British number one impressed many with how she troubled the 27-year-old, and on another day, given she was a break up in both sets, which she went on to lose, it could have been she who progressed through the draw.
Alas, this marks a great chance to avenge that defeat, even if it is on Sabalenka’s favoured surface, at an event where she is the defending champion.
Emma Raducanu does have a few things going for her, though, most notably a fresh relationship with Francisco Roig, her new coach.
She spoke about him after beating Olga Danilovic to reach the Cincinnati Open Round of 32.
Emma Raducanu reacts after her first match with new coach Francisco Roig
In what was a tricky first-round match, Raducanu rose to the challenge to topple the tricky, left-handed Serbian with relative ease.
It marked a really impressive showing in front of her new coach, culminating in their first win as a partnership.
Speaking about the Spaniard afterwards, Raducanu told Tennis Channel: “We get on really well, you know, in all areas.
“I think we get on great off the court, which is important when you’re spending so much time with someone travelling and obviously on court, he’s amazing.
“He’s got so much experience and then in the matches as well. Today was our first match together and you never know how it’s going to go. So I’m really happy it went in a positive way, a positive start, but also, you know, just having him there, a big sign of assurance and calm in the matches, no panic, no stress, and I think that he helps me with that too.”
This comes days after Raducanu revealed the first thing Roig told her to improve after appointing him as her coach.
Emma Raducanu shows signs of improvement already
Raducanu’s game has, for the most part, been relatively rock-solid in recent months.
However, if there was one area that needed improvement, it was her own serve.
Especially considering how deadly she often is when returning, putting pressure on her opponents during their own service games relentlessly.
She breaks with such frequency that, at times, it would only take a couple of holds in a set for Raducanu to win them.
Fortunately, against Danilovic, she has already started showing an upturn in form in that area, getting 63% of her first serve in, winning 70% of points on that first serve, and undoubtedly the most important statistic of them all, winning 73% of points on her second serve.
This could be a transformation that rockets her up the world rankings and helps her claim some really big wins.
Sabalenka will certainly offer a sterner test to see just how much improvement she has made under such a short time with Roig.
