World No. 1 Serena Williams sailed into the third round of the Rio Olympics; but not without a bit of drama in the middle.

The American tennis powerhouse was stretched to the wire by Frenchwoman Alize Cornet in the first set, before the former found a way to prevail 7-6 6-2 in the first-round battle that went on for one hour and 55 minutes.

Williams began the match in style, reeling off the first three games to take a 3-0 lead. Cornet, however, staged a spectacular comeback as she dominated the proceedings then on to go 5-4 up.

Visibly disappointed, Williams did what she does often – smashing the racquet hard on to the ground and then throwing it away.

Whether or not that helped her find momentum, is debatable. But, Williams appeared at her usual best thereafter to complete a straight-set conquest and set up a date with Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina for a place in the quarter-finals.

The moment Serena Williams smashed up her racquet in the #Rio2016 2nd round.

It did the trick. She went on to win.
https://t.co/2RBCSmCIcd

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 9, 2016