It started well enough. Though Aleksandar Vukic edged Jannik Sinner's opening serve off his racquet edge as if it were one of Australia's batters nicking off in Grenada he won the next point and after a service game each it was 1-1.
Then it got ugly.
Making a Wimbledon Centre Court debut against the top-seeded world No.1 is something to tell the grandkids about, but 93-ranked Vukic may not want to go into too many details.
It took the Sydneysider two sets to get into the groove and by then giantkilling was off the agenda. He finished stoutly, saving five match points, but was ultimately defeated by Sinner's 12th ace and succumbed 6-1 6-1 6-3 in exactly 100 minutes.
There were some solid serves from Vukic, but only three aces, and a deft volley or two, but for the first hour Sinner was operating on a different plane.
Vukic had hoped the top seed would not yet be moving easily on grass, but he slid around the court like a joyrider taking a corner. He had Vukic scurrying left and right with arrowed drives and every so often, quite often in fact, would unleash a forehand of such explosive power and accuracy it brought gasps from the crowd.
"Game Sinner" said the chair umpire, again and again as Sinner reeled off eight on the spin, 1-1 had become 6-1 2-0. When Vukic finally broke the spell the applause was loud, and sympathetic.
Even the AI line-judges seemed to be favouring the Italian. His close calls were just in, Vukic's just out, but you felt the frequent close calls were because Sinner was going for the paint while Vukic was going for broke.
Vukic tried to vary his game, but it was as if Sinner could read his mind as he anticipated drop shots, passing shots, most shots.
The second set went the way of the first but in the third Vukic stayed with the reigning US and Australian Open champion to 3-3. Then Sinner, having held for 4-3, broke him and, bar Vukic's final display of defiance, it was all over.