When the draw pitted Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios together in the third round of Wimbledon, there was a buzz of anticipation from fans, journalists and pundits alike.
The pair had a history after all ever since the Australian dumped Nadal out of Wimbledon when he entered as a wildcard five years ago.
Their meetings since then have resulted in a war of words between the two. Nadal accusing Kyrgios of disrespect, Kyrgios not giving a care to what the Spaniard thinks.
Tensions boiled over in Acapulco when Nadal revealed those thoughts to the public in a press conference, accusing him of "lacking respect for himself, the crowd and his opponent". This time around, it was meant to be more magnanimous.
The 33-year-old declared he was "too old" to engage in the petty exchanges, but Kyrgios knew he had to use every psychological advantage he could to affect the Spaniard on the court.
Despite the strange behaviour from Kyrgios in the first set, Nadal was largely unmoved - even when the 24-year-old played an incredible underarm ace to seal a love hold.
The 18-time Grand Slam winner kept his head ice cold and after securing the break, he went on to win the first set 6-3.
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But Kyrgios came to life in the second set, firing himself up with several "come on"s on court, and began to rattle Nadal, who suffered a loss of rhythm.
Kyrgios raged with the umpire, complaining that Nadal was taking far too long on his serve, and earned himself a code violation on his way to levelling the tie with a 6-3 result in the second set.
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It was a much closer affair in the third set, with neither player conceding their serve and the crowd prepared themselves for a tiebreak. Nadal soon found another gear, picking out shots that left Kyrgios shaking his head in disbelief.
When the Spaniard finally took advantage of his set point, he leapt into the air and punched in delight. The crowd responded with the loudest cheer of the day, showing whose side they were on now.
The momentum had swung Nadal's way, but Kyrgios stayed focused, albeit while the trick shots and unorthodox basketball leaps continued, with neither player willing to give up a break.
Nothing could separate the two players, who were both serving fantastically, and the fourth set headed for a tiebreak again.
It was close, but Nadal displayed he is one of the greatest ever to grace the game, finding his way out of the corner and Kyrgios planted one into the net.
The roar from the crowd was telling, the dip of the head from Kyrgios too. He had played a fine game of tennis, but it wasn't enough as Nadal conquered him once again.