Hesitant Baltacha pays the penalty against ruthlessly efficient Jie Zheng

What seems now to be stopping her from reaching the world’s top 100, to which she came tantalisingly close three years ago, is that her mind is still chained in doubt.

Brave loser: Elena Baltacha

Faced with the robotic efficiency of China’s Jie Zheng on Court Two, Baltacha’s level rose above and fell below the uniform performance line of her opponent in a 6-2, 7-5 defeat that might easily have been converted into a victory.

Jolted into a response by a ruthless display of clean hitting by Zheng, the Scot cut a 4-0 first-set deficit in half and then threatened to retrieve a second break of serve when the first attack of hesitancy paralysed her in mid-court and ultimately gave Zheng an easy passing shot.

It proved the pivotal moment of the first set.

The second was so lop-sided that eight successive games were won at the end of the court overlooked by the Millennium Building — nearly all of them of Baltacha’s making.

When she thudded her serve on target, Zheng could not cope. When she missed, the Chinese girl’s metronomic consistency won through. Cue much head-shaking from the emotional Baltacha.

Her body language is in equal measure a weapon and a weakness. Positive in thought, positive in action, when she commits to her shots, breaking into the top 100 appears an attainable goal. But when she wavers and tentativeness creeps in, it looks a pipedream.

Serving for the second set, Baltacha strode out to a 30-0 lead. Cue the doubts, hesitancy and a break back for her opponent. Two games later, she stood at 30-0 again, needing two more points to force a tiebreak. Again she faltered, decisively this time, and launched a ball high over the scoreboard in agonised frustration.

Commendably, she remains positive about the future. She said: ‘I’ve got the weapons to reach the top 100. I just need to improve the consistency. Knuckle down, get to that level and maintain that level.’

Brave girl, brave words. But brave enough?