Coming into her home Grand Slam tournament, Raducanu tried to temper expectations following a difficult build-up.
It was a sensible policy given she is always the centre of attention because of her major-winning status and the furore which surrounds home players at Wimbledon.
The dominant manner of her second-round victory against 2023 champion Marketa Vondrousova, however, lifted belief.
Despite producing her best performance in “a long time” against the crafty Czech, Raducanu knew she still had a gap to bridge with the very best – and Sabalenka is the leading marker.
Raducanu’s level in the first set was even better than against Vondrousova.
A sign of her intent was creating a break point in the first game of the match and, although Sabalenka’s serving alleviated the danger, the Briton took her next chance for a 3-2 lead.
The sharp uplift of volume on Centre Court, accentuated by the greenhouse effect of the covered roof, indicated the home fans believed as much as Raducanu did.
The challenge was maintaining her level.
Errors started to creep in when she served at 4-3 – summed up by a wild forehand long on break point – and her baseline game continued to break down in the next as Sabalenka gathered momentum.
When Raducanu faced seven set points at 5-4, it felt like the match could quickly swing away from her.
But she is a more resilient competitor these days and demonstrated her improved durability by breaking in the 11th game to serve for the set.
Sabalenka, though, showed why is the dominant figure on the WTA Tour by raising her game when it mattered most.
With the crowd against her, Sabalenka’s precise and heavy ball-striking was complemented by nerveless drop-shots as she dragged herself over the line in the tie-break.
