Serena Williams falls hard but advances at U.S. Open

NEW YORK---Top seed and defending champion Serena Williams took a hard fall in her second-round match but had no other troubles in beating Galina Voskoboeva 6-3, 6-0 at the U.S. Open.

Fourth-seeded Sara Errani of Italy wasn’t so lucky. Errani lost to fellow Italian Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-0, and afterward seemed distraught and in tears, speaking about the pressure of being so highly seeded and expected to reach the semifinals.

“The worst for me is to find the way, because sometimes there are difficult things because you never have been at this place. I have never been here like this,” Errani said. “I have never been in this situation, so it’s a new situation for me.

“And also for my team, not only for me, my coach. We have to find the solution, because is I think these things happen to everybody when you feel on the top and you are there and the people are playing against you with no pressure and you have a lot of pressure.

“I’m not that kind of player that can go there and make ace and winner, and if the ball is going in, I’m doing good. For me is to go there and fight. I feel that I’m not fighting good for too much pressure, for not feeling good with myself in this high position.”

Also winning was American Christina McHale, who was ecstatic after her 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win over Elina Svitolina. McHale missed much of last season while recovering from mononucleosis.

Williams has lost a total of four games in two matches as she seeks a repeat title here.

“I’ll have to think about it and see what I can do better, but it was OK,” said Williams, who needed 44 minutes to win the first set.

She laughed at her fall on her backside, which came in the eighth game of that set and seemed to motivate her. She won the second set in 27 minutes.

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