Facing break point at 2-2 in the second set, Naomi Osaka fired a flat, roughly 180 kph serve to Yulia Putintseva's backhand, seemingly handcuffing her tricky Kazakh opponent.
Putintseva made an almost apologetic stab at the return that floated over the net and was called out. On another day, perhaps that would have been a mere close call on Osaka's road toward the second round, a nervous moment that would soon be forgotten.
But little has gone according to plan for the world No. 2 of late.