Serena Williams stumbled her way through to the third round of the China Open on Tuesday, claiming victory over Francesca Schiavone in an unconvincing two sets.
The world number one at times appeared agitated during her 6-4, 7-5 victory over the Italian, shouting at herself over lost points.
The American only showed rare moments of her trademark power-play, gaining the upper hand in the first set via a mistake from her opponent who double-faulted on set-point.
The top seed was forced to become more aggressive in the second set after her serve was broken in the first game by Schiavone, Italy’s first Grand Slam winner at Roland Garros in 2010 and the world number 50.
As the competition intensified both players’ tempers threatened to boil over, with Williams shouting and Schiavone smashing balls into the barriers at the side of the court.
But Williams seemed calmer - and quieter - as she closed in on victory.