Habitually ultra intense, Serena Williams is keeping it cool as she races ever closer to a rare US Open hat-trick and another chapter in the tennis record books.
Chris Evert is the only woman in the past 60 years to win at least three titles in a row in New York, eventually winning four straight triumphs from 1975-78.
But with her 6-3 6-3 fourth-round victory over Kaia Kanepi on Monday, Williams is also now three tantalising wins away from joining Evert and Martina Navratilova as the United States' most prolific grand slam singles champions of all-time.
For now, though, the world No.1 is happy enough savouring her first grand slam quarter-final of the year after early-round slip-ups in Melbourne, Paris and London.
"I never thought it would be so exciting," she said after booking a last-eight meeting on Wednesday with Flavia Pennetta.
"Yeah, it feels good. Obviously I don't want this to end."
Stranded on 17 slams for the past 12 months, Williams admits she's been placing too much pressure on herself.
"I'm a perfectionist; I always want to be the best, do the best," the top seed said.
"Now I'm more relaxed. I feel like I don't have to win any more. I've had a wonderful career.
"Tennis has given me so much, things I would have never expected in my life. I feel honoured to even be a part of such a wonderful sport.
"So I think ultimately that really helps me to be able to be more relaxed.
"I don't have any expectations. I just have been trying to see the bigger picture kind of thing."
The top seed may be looking at the bigger picture, but she's certainly not taking small steps.
Williams has conceded just 17 games en route to the quarter-finals, the least of any woman left in the draw, and is a raging favourite to add to her unbeaten record against the 12th-ranked Pennetta.
She has won all five of their previous encounters against fellow 32-year-old Pennetta, including 6-2 6-2 two weeks ago in Cincinnati.
Not that Williams is taking the Italian lightly.
"Wowwww," Williams said when told Pennetta had now made the last eight at least on five occasions at Flushing Meadows, and the final four last year.
"I don't think I have easy matches against her. She plays really well. I think the older she gets, the better she plays, to be honest.
"It is not an easy match-up for me."
Pennetta advanced with a 7-5 6-2 success over Casey Dellacqua, a win that denied the 29-year-old Australian a grand slam quarter-final berth for the first time.
But speaking from experience, Pennetta believes it will happen for Dellacqua, who has also twice ventured to the last 16 at the Australian Open, including this year.
"We had a lot of things in common," Pennetta said.
"We have a lot of injuries, we come back and we stop and we come back.
"She's starting to play better and better now. She's more consistent. Maybe just with age it's coming."
While Williams reached her first grand slam quarter of the year, Canadian seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard failed to make it to at least the last eight at a major for the first time in 2014.
Struggling in the heat and humidity, Bouchard wilted in a 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 loss to 17th seed Ekaterina Makarova.
The Russian will face two-time runner-up Victoria Azarenka in Wednesday's quarter-finals after the Belarusian ended the giantkilling run of Serbian qualifier Aleksandra Krunic 4-6 6-4 6-4 in a topsy-turvy fourth-round night match.
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