Emma Raducanu had to fend off jet lag as she overcame Elise Mertens in the first round at the Washington Open.
Making her first appearance since she lost in the last 16 at Wimbledon, Raducanu prevailed 6-2 3-6 6-4 over Mertens, who she also defeated at the All England Club, on Monday.
The 21-year-old elected to skip the Olympics to focus on her hard-court form and prepare for the US Open, which she won in 2021.
Raducanu's Washington campaign started with a stern test against Mertens, with the match dragging on well beyond 11pm local time.
And Raducanu conceded it was a struggle as she grappled with jet lag.
"I was playing some pretty good tennis in patches throughout, especially in the first set and moments in the third set," she said.
"I lost some focus in the second. It's not easy playing at 11:30. I got here Thursday night so I'm still jet-lagged.
"I was telling myself, 'I'm not leaving. This is not happening. You're not losing this match'.
"I've been training and playing so good in practice. I've been really on it. So on the court, I was telling myself: 'You've been so focused for so long. There's no way you're not going to try right now. You're going to fight until the very end. You didn't put all that work in for nothing'."
"I'm happy with how I pulled myself out of it, but I do need to focus."
Badosa hails Raducanu after three-set thriller in Washington
Paula Badosa lauded Emma Raducanu for pushing her all the way in a three-set encounter at the Washington Open.
Badosa, the world number 62, ended Raducanu's promising run in the American capital with a 4-6 7-5 6-4 triumph on Friday.
The Spaniard needed two hours and 45 minutes to overcome the 2021 US Open champion and reach her first semi-final of the season.
"She was playing amazing, honestly," Badosa said after meeting Raducanu for the first time.
"She took me to the limit in all the phases; physically, mentally, tennis-wise. I knew I had to play very aggressive.
"In the beginning, I was missing a little bit so I had to adjust. She was also making me miss. She's very, very fast. I never played her, so it's the first time I experienced her.
"I was surprised how smart she is on court and I like the way she plays."
Badosa will next face Caroline Dolehide, who beat Amanda Anisimova in straight sets.
'I have waited almost 20 years' – Djokovic delighted to end long wait for Olympic singles final
Novak Djokovic was relieved to end his Olympic semi-final hoodoo and finally reach the singles final at the Games for the first time.
The 24-time major champion defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-4 6-2 to ensure he would walk away from Roland-Garros with a medal.
Djokovic will now face number two seed Carlos Alcaraz in a rematch of last month's Wimbledon final.
The 37-year-old was aware of the enormity of the achievement in going one step further, having suffered semi-final losses to Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev in three previous Olympic semi-finals, though he did claim bronze at the Beijing Games in 2008.
"I have been waiting for this for almost 20 years," Djokovic said in his on-court interview.
"I've played four Olympic Games, this is my fifth and '’ve never passed the semi-finals. I lost three semi-finals in my first four Olympic Games.
"I managed to overcome this big hurdle. I must be honest and say that I was thinking about all the semi-finals that I lost."
The Serbian had to overcome injury concerns after his quarter-final match against Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Djokovic was more encouraged by his mental strength against an opponent that has made great strides on the ATP Tour this season in Musetti.
"I just tried to be in the present moment. I played against a player who is in great form and really came out firing from both ends," Djokovic added.
"I just tried to maintain the focus and do what I have to do."
Sunday's final between Djokovic and Alcaraz will be the seventh meeting between the pair, with the head-to-head currently at three apiece.
Alcaraz relishing 'special' Olympics final against Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz is relishing what will be a "special moment" in his already remarkable career as he prepares for an Olympic gold medal match.
Alcaraz defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1 6-1 on Friday to take his place in the final of the men's singles, which will take place at Roland-Garros on Sunday.
And standing in the way of the Spaniard, who won the French Open earlier this year, and a gold medal is 24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic.
Like Alcaraz, the 37-year-old Djokovic is into his maiden final at the Games, having previously claimed bronze in 2008.
Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in the final of Wimbledon in July, would be the youngest-ever champion of the men's singles should he triumph. He is the second-youngest male to have made it into a singles final at the Games, after Robert LeRoy in 1904.
"It's going to be a really special moment for me, in my life, in my career, so I'm going to try and enjoy this moment, because it’s going to be really difficult," Alcaraz said.
"It's going to be difficult, but it’s going to be special.
"I will try to be focused on myself and try not to hear all this, all the fans, all the people that say 'I'm going to win'.
"I just want to give 100% my best tennis and hopefully I reach my goal to get the gold."
Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, conceded he was simply second best.
He said: "I just couldn't find a way to be comfortable in any pattern, any position.
"Whether it was trying to dominate the forehand cross-court or change of direction, the forehand inside-out, the backhand side.
"Every aspect. The movement. The defence. I was dominated.
"He's improved a lot, every time we've played. I don't have the solutions right now."
Auger-Aliassime swiftly shrugged off his disappointment by winning the bronze medal match alongside Gabriela Dabrowski in the mixed doubles.
Their success against Dutch pair Wesley Koolhof and Demi Schuurs marked Canada's first medal in the mixed doubles.
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