Serena survives, Djokovic, Sharapova ease through

Serena Williams of the U.S.A. celebrates winning a game during her match against Heather Watson of Britain at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, July 3, 2015. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett -

LONDON (Reuters) - The needle on the Wimbledon Richter scale sat poised and ready but Serena Williams dug deep into her battle-hardened playbook to ensure there was no earth-shuddering shock at the hands of scurrying Briton Heather Watson on Friday.

With the shockwaves of Rafa Nadal's exit at the hands of maverick journeyman Dustin Brown 24 hours earlier still rippling around the All England Club, Williams stood on the brink of an even more astonishing reverse.