The needle on the Wimbledon Richter scale sat poised and ready but Serena Williams dug deep into her battle-hardened playbook to ensure there was no earth-shuddering shock at the hands of scurrying Briton Heather Watson on Friday.
With the shockwaves of Rafa Nadal's exit at the hands of maverick journeyman Dustin Brown 24 hours earlier still rippling around the All England Club, Williams stood on the brink of an even more astonishing reverse.
The five-time champion was two breaks down in the third set to her 59th-ranked foe and at one stage stood two points from defeat before normal order was restored and Williams clinched a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 win.