Venus Williams Beats Back a Challenge From a Plucky American Compatriot

Venus Williams Come Back The first time Venus Williams served for the match, she double-faulted. Then she double-faulted again. Her opponent, the plucky 25-year-old Irina Falconi, won the break, pumping dim life back into an otherwise ineffective effort.But the second time Williams served for the match in the second set, losing that game as well, what was looking like a breezy advancement into the third round was turning into a protracted battle.The momentum carried Falconi to a win in the tiebreaker, sending Williams into a third set for the second time in this United States Open. Williams, a 35-year-old former Open champion, eventually wore down her opponent, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-2 on...

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Wimbledon champ Kvitova, never a contender in New York, wins easily

Latest on US Open: 2-time Wimbledon champ Kvitova, never a contender in New York, wins easily The U.S. Open is the only Grand Slam tournament where Petra Kvitova has never reached the semifinals. She has never even been to the quarterfinals at Flushing Meadows. Says she's not a big fan of all the hustle and bustle of the place.That might be so, but the two-time Wimbledon champion had zero problems in the first round Tuesday night, needing about an hour for a 6-1, 6-1 victory over 126th-ranked Laura Siegemund, a qualifier from Germany.Kvitova, seeded fifth, arrived in New York coming off a hard-court tuneup title in New Haven, Connecticut, and looked good in the final match of the U.S. Open's...

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