Jannik Sinner was again tested as he reached the Wimbledon third round with victory over Nuno Borges.
The defending champion was taken the full five sets on Monday in his opening match and again here on Centre Court it was certainly not a cruise for the world number one.
He had to come through two tie-breaks and a very lively opponent to eventually see off Borges and win 7-6 7-6 6-4 in just over two and a half hours.
Sinner will face American Jenson Brooksby in the third round on Friday.
Break points were at a premium in a tight first set. Sinner was unable to take any of the three he earned in the opening game and the wait for another opening on Borges' serve was a lengthy one.
In the remaining 11 games of the set, only once did either player win more than a point in the other's service game. Holds were swiftly exchanged.
A deep return gave Sinner the mini-break and he went big on a second serve to earn a set point. That was converted as the Italian landed the first significant blow on the scoreboard after 45 minutes.
Borges was making his debut on Centre Court. He had never won a match at Wimbledon before his run to the third round last year.
The 29-year-old did not look fazed by the occasion, even after his tie-break setback.
He broke to lead 2-1 when Sinner sent a forehand long and kept his nose in front. When Sinner pushed at 0-30 to level the set up, Borges responded with two perfect, timely serves.
However, Borges did blink when serving for the set. Sinner got his break back at 5-5, aided by a flurry of unforced errors, and another tie-break was required.
Borges dug his thumb into his knee before it, indicating a potential problem. Hampered or not, he will be frustrated with how the tie-break then played out.
He surrendered a mini-break when dominating a point only to slap a forehand into the net. That was the start of a run of five straight points for Sinner, including a stunning backhand down the line, to move two sets up.
Sinner broke at the start of the third set, Borges responded immediately, and then the best game of the match unfolded.
Exhibition tennis broke out on Centre Court, featuring lobs, volleys and passes. It had a fitting finale, Sinner breaking to lead 2-1 with a perfect backhand pass.
Sinner looked rock solid on serve, firing down 21 aces to go with the 31 he totalled in the first round, and it limited Borges' opportunities.
One threatened to appear at 30-30 when Sinner was serving for the match, but the Italian swatted away an overhead to bring up match point. A forehand crunched crosscourt was little more than a millimetre from catching the line.
Sinner had a rueful smile as he marched back to the baseline. It was a genuine one barely a minute later when Borges sliced long.
