Matteo Berrettini stepped on Centre Court armed with the most grass-court wins on the ATP Tour this season.
Roger Federer bamboozled Berrettini with angled returns, breezed through service games and made the baseline dance and his lanky opponent collapse with a drive off the line that sent the towering Italian sprawling to the turf.
Watch: Big 3 Domination Continues
It was all part of a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, thrashing that sent Federer into his 17th Wimbledon quarterfinal—and prompted both Berrettini and his coach to thank the Swiss for the lesson.
"His coach congratulated me and thanked me almost," said Federer after raising his Wimbledon record to 99-12. "I was like, Why? He was like, It's good for him to get a lesson. You guys are a bit tough, but I get it. I like the Italians.
"Important is that he's not too disappointed, because he's had a great run."
Of course, Federer can relate to abrupt endings. Even the 20-time Grand Slam king has suffered his share of major shellackings.
So what Grand Slam thrashing taught Federer the biggest lesson?
The eight-time Wimbledon winner cites his 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 loss to Andre Agassi in the fourth round of the 2001 US Open as the match that taught him he needed to work harder to beat the best.
"I remember US Open against Agassi, I guess it was also 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 I believe," Federer said. "I thought like, Oh, maybe I was going to take Andre out, all that stuff. Nah.
"You get smashed, go home, don't understand what happened. You realize, Well, I just got to work harder. It's that simple. Maybe got to have a different tactic, maybe got to have a different mindset going into that."
Federer's former doubles partner, Max Mirnyi, swept the Swiss in the 2002 US Open fourth round. That loss sent a disconsolate Federer seeking solace in a happy meal at a New York City McDonalds.
"Another day US Open when I played Max Mirnyi, I waited 10 hours at the court to play, it was raining all day," Federer said. "They sent me out at 11 p.m. I believe, Court 8, lost in straight sets, went to McDonald's at 2 in the morning.
"You're like, What happened?"
Both of those painful US Open losses helped shape the toughness and tenacity Federer showed in his major rise.
Two years after losing to the beast of Belarus, Federer conquered Lleyton Hewitt to claim the first of five consecutive US Open crowns, including defeating Agassi in the 2005 final.
In past interviews, Federer has said learning from loss was a key asset in his career success.
"Some losses you can't explain," Federer said. "Important is that, especially in those moments when you lost extremely hard, had high expectations, you really get taken down, is that when you take a major step forward. It's okay to take a step back, but then you have to take two forward. I hope that's what he does exactly from today on."
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport