a false dawn

something which seems to show that a successful period is beginning or that a situation is improving when it is not

Usage notes: False dawn is the light which appears in the sky just before the sun rises in the morning.

His victory in the French Open proved to be a false dawn after he failed to win another title for the next five years.

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Sloan	[sləun]
A&Eth;AlbjÖRg	-	Icelandic, Ancient Scandinavian
Franko	-	Croatian
Angela	AN-jəl-ə (English), AHN-je-lah (Italian), AHNG-ge-lah (German)	English, Italian, German, Dutch, Romanian, Slovene, Slovak, Russian, Macedonian, Late Roman
Tito	TEE-to (Italian, Spanish)	Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Timotha	TIM-ə-thə	English (Rare)