My first sight of Emma Raducanu at this US Open came on one of those typical late summer New York days: oppressively hot, and uncomfortably humid.
The 18-year-old was playing in the final round of qualifying, against Mayar Sherif of Egypt. And within minutes of sitting down to watch on court five, a colleague and I had turned to each other with the same thought: she really is an exceptional talent.
Raducanu had secured some excellent wins since reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon in July, mostly notably in her run to the final of the WTA Challenger event in Chicago the previous week.