Venus strolls into US Open third round
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Hardly tested... Venus blasted De Los Rios off the court. (Reuters: Lucas Jackson)
Venus Williams said she was due another US Open victory after a crushing 6-0, 6-3 win over Paraguayan Rossana De Los Rios in the second round this morning (AEST).
Williams, champion in 2000 and 2001, did not get much of a workout in the 59-minute match against the 113-ranked De Los Rios, 32, who has never gone beyond the second round at Flushing Meadows.
Meanwhile Australia's Jessica Moore is out of the US Open after losing her second round match to Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-1, 6-3.
Venus, 28, said she was satisfied with her performance against De Los Rios but she was hardly tested.
"I think I just had a lot more power than she did today," the seventh seed told reporters.
She made 17 unforced errors and squandered four match points on her serve at 5-3 up before finally claiming victory on the fifth.
Although her fourth-seeded sister Serena said this week her second title in 2002 was so long ago she could not even recall holding the trophy, Venus said she had no trouble remembering her last in 2001.
"I won't forget, but I'd like to have a more recent memory, as of like '08. So that's pretty much the goal," said Williams, who won her fifth Wimbledon singles title in July.
"I guess, (I'm) kind of overdue, but you've got to win it to deserve it."
In the third round, Venus will meet Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine, the 27th seed who defeated Sabine Lisicki of Germany in three sets.
The Williams sisters, who won their second Olympic doubles crown at the Beijing Games 11 days ago, are seeded to meet in the quarter-finals.
Venus has won three of the last four Wimbledon championships but has not reached the final of one of the other grand slam tournaments since the Australian Open in 2003.
Safina through
Sixth seed Dinara Safina defeated Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of the US Open on Thursday.
It has been a breakthrough season for Safina who has won three of her eight career titles in 2008.
She reached the final at the Beijing Olympics but had to settle for silver after losing to Russian compatriot Elena Dementieva.
Safina hammered six aces and won 71 percent of her first serve points in the 80-minute match on the main Arthur Ashe Stadium.
"I think it still could be better," she said. "I was up 4-1 up in the first set and then I let it go to 4-4.
"I was lucky that I held my serve. There is more room to improve. Hopefully in the next match I can do better."
-AFP/Reuters
