Former world number one Lindsay Davenport reckons American starlet Madison Keys has the potential to take the world by storm.
Davenport, who won three grand slams and an Olympic gold medal in a career spanning almost 20 years, believes Keys is the brightest prospect to come out of the USA since the Williams sisters - a mighty compliment for a 17-year-old just starting to find her feet in the world of professional tennis.
After opening her Australian Open account with a 6-4 7-6 (7-0) win over local Casey Dellacqua, Keys lifted her game to roll Austrian 30th seed Tamira Paszek 6-2 6-1 in just 56 minutes on Wednesday.
Her reward is a third-round clash against in-form fifth-seeded German Angelique Kerber.
Win or lose, Keys will jump into the world's top 100 for the first time - after ending 2011 ranked 315.
Although the precocious teenager will face Kerber as a massive underdog, Davenport will be just one of several interested onlookers on Friday.
"Really fun watching Keys play. Regardless on how this tourney plays out, incredible potential," Davenport, now a TV commentator, wrote on her Twitter account.
"Best hope I've seen for US since Williams'."
Her potential - there's that word again - has always been abundantly clear.
At the age of 14, Keys became one of the youngest players to win a WTA match when she beat Alla Kudryavtseva, then ranked 81, in Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida.
While that breakthrough performance hasn't quite translated into results - yet - Keys is slowly growing into her game.
Last week in Sydney, she beat the likes of world number 17 Lucie Safarova and former Australian Open semi-finalist Zheng Jie on her way to the last eight, where she lost a tight battle to Li Na 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-2.
Keys first picked up a racquet at the age of four because she liked tennis dresses.
Her parents - both lawyers - never played the game but she took an instant liking to it.
"You know, it's worked out pretty well," she said on Wednesday, without a hint of understatement.
Growing up, Keys idolised Kim Clijsters, holder of four grand slam crowns.
"I thought she was very passionate, and I thought her movement was incredible," she said.
If Keys has even half the career the Belgian star had, we'll be in for a long and enjoyable ride.