Andy Murray has tipped Kyle Edmund to become one of the world's leading players after the youngster led Great Britain to a Davis Cup victory over Serbia.
With Wimbledon champion Murray and world number one Novak Djokovic sitting out the tie ahead of the Olympics and American hard court season, it was left to the lesser lights on both sides to battle it out in Belgrade - and Edmund shone brightest.
Having won the opening match 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 against Janko Tipsarevic, the 21-year-old went on to clinch the tie on the final day by beating Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4, 7-6.
His heroics did not just propel Great Britain into a semi-final at home to Argentina; they reignited talk that Edmund could be the next British superstar, potentially emerging just as the current generation of greats start to hang up their rackets.
Andy Murray was effusive in his praise for the Yorkshireman. He remarked: "He is a lot better than a lot of people thought he was going to be, myself included. There's no reason why he can't get right up to the top of the game.
"I still think there are some things he can improve but he has big weapons, bigger than a lot of the young guys that are ahead of him."
Noting that Edmund had just won in straight sets on clay against a player who had reached the fourth round of the French Open, the Scot said Edmund would be a particularly effective player on the red stuff.
All this means that while British tennis lovers booking corporate hospitality for the ATP World Tour Finals this November to see the likes of Murray and Djokovic may be able to look forward to more great rivalries in the future, with Edmund battling it out with the likes of Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios and Milos Raonic for the big prizes four or five years from now.
The semi-final tie with Argentina will take place over the weekend of September 16th-18th, beginning five days after the US Open men's final.
By Keith Prowse