It is as if the last three years had never happened. Emma Raducanu is back at the US Open, still wearing red and still thrashing all comers.
The 22-year-old mirrored her 6-1, 6-2 first-round victory with a 6-2, 6-1 defeat of highly-rated Indonesian prospect Janice Tjen.
Take out the nerves of 2022, the pain of 2023, the tears of 2024 and Raducanu has won 12 consecutive matches in New York without dropping a set.
The caveat – and it may be a big one – is that as she cruised towards victory Raducanu appeared to be feeling her back, whose periodic spasms have been the only blot on an otherwise injury-free season.
At the start of the second set she spent a good few seconds before a point doubled over in a corner of the court; her horse-whispering French chiropractor Jerome Poupel sat a little straighter in his courtside seat.
We will have to wait to discover the extent of any discomfort but it would be a great shame if Raducanu is physically compromised for her third-round match. She is playing with such effortless flow, producing absolutely the best tennis since she won this title in 2021, and her partnership with former Rafael Nadal coach Francis Roig could scarcely have begun better.
Emma Raducanu cruised into the third round of the US Open after a straight-sets win over Janice Tjen
Take out the nerves of 2022, the pain of 2023, the tears of 2024 and Raducanu has won 12 consecutive matches in New York without dropping a set
The highly-rated Indonesian prospect could not handle the supreme athleticism shown by her opponent
Raducanu handled with ease a player who is among the more highly rated emerging talents.
Such are the varied byways of tennis that 23-year-old Tjen is the newcomer while Raducanu, one year younger, feels like she has been around forever.
First, to introduce Tjen. Her first-round upset of No24 seed Veronika Kudermetova was the first victory by an Indonesian player at a Grand Slam for 22 years, and Tjen is riding the crest of a tennis wave in her country.
A global study by the International Tennis Federation found a 44 per cent increase in participation since 2019, with the number of coaches doubling.
Tjen won 20 straight matches after leaving Pepperdine University in June 2024 and overall has a 90 per cent win rate since graduation.
In the shape of her forehand action, her use of the slice backhand and her hand skills at the net, Tjen is a dead ringer for former Wimbledon champion Ash Barty.
Tjen has acknowledged that the brilliant Aussie has been her tennis touchstone and of course if she can have anything close to her career she will be delighted.
Raducanu has some hand skills of her own and the result was a highly watchable contest.
The difference – and it was a big difference – was Raducanu’s supreme athleticism. She floated around the court, controlling the match with her top-class double-handed backhand. She served great, too.
Raducanu in full flight is a sight to see. It would be a dreadful shame if that troublesome back contrives to drag her back down to earth.
