Under the electric hum of the Louis Armstrong Stadium lights, a ghost of glory past emerged. Emma Raducanu, in a performance that sent shivers down the spines of those who witnessed her 2021 miracle, swept into the third round of the US Open with a hauntingly familiar dominance, defeating Janice Tjen 6-2, 6-1.
Every shot seemed to echo her legendary run. The explosive serve, the fearless returns, the unshakeable poise—it was all there, a powerful reincarnation of the champion who once took the world by storm. Raducanu moved with a spectral confidence, her relentless assault leaving Tjen looking as if she were battling a memory too powerful to overcome.
Tjen arrived as a protagonist in her own right, a giant-killer writing a Cinderella story with every win. But in the grand theater of New York, her narrative was forcefully interrupted by a legend reborn. Raducanu refused to let another fairytale unfold on her stage, asserting her own story of a champion’s return with every blistering winner.
The whispers are now growing into a roar. With each match, the spirit of 2021 feels less like an echo and more like a prophecy. As she moves deeper into the draw, the question is no longer if she can recapture the magic, but if anyone in her path can stop it.