Less than one month ago, Emma Raducanu wasn’t even dreaming of attending the Met Gala – or the mind-boggling concept of 2 million Instagram followers.

No, she was just an 18-year-old Londoner trying to establish a foothold in the demanding business of professional tennis. And then, against ridiculous odds, she won 10 straight matches at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (taking all 20 sets) to become the first qualifier to win a major title. And so, her world changed forever.

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“It felt nice to receive the support, everyone’s nice messages and kind words,” Raducanu said earlier this week at Indian Wells. “But I didn’t get too caught up in it.

“I just focused on my tennis and my training.”

There was a lot to get caught up in.

The British government, along with the Lawn Tennis Association – moved by the success of Raducanu and fellow Britons and US Open champions Joe Salisbury, Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett – pledged to spend more than 30 million pounds to refurbish public courts. There was a doubles match with Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, and a parting of ways with coach Andrew Richardson.

Read more: Raducanu, Gauff talk Indian Wells debuts, coaching and social media

Raducanu’s ascent was so startling, so steep, that she needed a wildcard into the BNP Paribas main draw, although she is now ranked No.22 among WTA players and is seeded No.17. Raducanu, who received a first-round bye, meets Aliaksandra Sasnovich, a 6-0, 6-4 winner over Maria Camila Osorio Serrano on Friday.

One of the early headlines regarding the draw was this little beauty: If the seeds hold, it would by Raducanu against two-time major champion Simona Halep in the third round. How’s that for rapid testing?

First things first, though. Raducanu and Sasnovich have never met, which isn’t surprising considering Raducanu’s exceedingly spare track record. Incredibly, this is only her third formal WTA event. Back in June, Nottingham – sandwiched between two ITF events – was the first. She followed that up with a remarkable fourth-round appearance as a Wimbledon wildcard. Raducanu lost in the first round at San Jose after receiving another wildcard, then qualified (her ranking was No.184) for another ITF event in Pennsylvania, reaching the quarterfinals. She advanced to the finals of the Chicago 125 event, losing to fellow 18-year-old Clara Tauson, a week before the US Open began.

Indian Wells 2021: Draws, prize money, storylines and everything you need to know

After the triumph in New York, Raducanu’s dance card filled up quickly. She’s committed to Indian Wells (a WTA 1000), Moscow (500), Cluj-Napoca (250) and Linz (250) – all in the next five weeks. Which sets up an intriguing possibility, for Raducanu is suddenly No.15 in the Porsche Race to the WTA Finals. She’s 489 points behind No.8 Naomi Osaka, on the surface, a distance she’s capable of closing.

Heading into Indian Wells, Raducanu now appears to be one of the favorites to go far, if not win it.

Like the Met Gala, something that didn’t seem possible a month ago.

Aware that a number of players before her have struggled to deal with those great expectations following a major championship, Raducanu says she’s doing her best not to buy into the hype.

“What got me to this point is not thinking anything differently,” she said. “If I just put additional thoughts in my head, then that will just create a problem. I am just going to keep going on about my business and stay the same.”

No.23 Leylah Fernandez vs. Alize Cornet

The other teenaged US Open finalist is also on court Friday for the first time since her astonishing run.

Fernandez’s path to the final in New York was even more impressive than Raducanu’s. She  defeated No.2 Aryna Sabalenka, No.3 Naomi Osaka and No.5 Elina Svitolina before falling to Raducanu 4-6, 3-6.

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In the first round at Indian Wells, Cornet defeated Elena Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 7-6 (5).

Fernandez and Cornet have never played.

Other notable Friday matches:

No.2 Iga Swiatek vs. Petra Martic: Swiatek, who has won two titles this season, is looking for a strong showing to bolster her spot in the Race Leaderboard. Currently, she sits at No.7. 

No.4 Elina Svitolina vs. Tereza Martincova: This will be their first meeting. Svitolina was a semifinalist at Indian Wells in 2019, the last time the tournament was played. 

No.7 Petra Kvitova vs. Arantxa Rus: Rus dropped only one game in her opening match at Indian Wells. She recently reached the final of a WTA 125 in Belgrade and has won three of the past four events she has played on the ITF circuit. 

No.8 Belinda Bencic vs. Shelby Rogers: Since winning the gold medal, Bencic has played five events and reached the quarterfinals in each, including the US Open. Rogers has strung together a solid season, which includes a third-round win against Ashleigh Barty in New York. 

No.9 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Madison Keys: They've split their four career head-to-head meetings, but Pavlyuchenkova comes in as the more in-form player, while Keys ended a five-match losing streak with a straight-sets win against Kaia Kanepi on Wednesday. 

No.11 Simona Halep vs. Marta Kostyuk: Halep returns to the court for the first time since falling in the fourth round of the US Open. She was the 2015 champion in the desert, where she beat Serena Williams and Jelena Jankovic in the final two matches. 

No.19 Jessica Pegula vs. Sloane Stephens: This will be the first time these two Americans meet on tour. Stephens won a tricky match in her Indian Wells opener, where she came back from a set down to beat Heather Watson 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-1.