Russia's Safina advances to third round at US Open tennis (AFP)
25 minutes ago
NEW YORK (AFP) - Sixth seed Dinara Safina defeated Roberta Vinci of Italy 6-4, 6-3 in the second round of the 20.6 million dollar 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."
It would be a windfall victory for Safina if she breaks through and captures the US Open title.
She placed first the US Open Series leading up to the final Grand Slam of the season which means she will receive a one million dollar bonus in addition to the 1.5 million dollars in first place prize money.
Safina, of Russia, moves through to the third round where she will play the winner of a match between Taiwan's Chan Yung-jan and Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland.
At the French Open, Safina made it to her first Grand Slam championship where she lost to Serbian Ana Ivanovic. She was eliminated in the third round at Wimbledon.
She has more confidence this year and is better at controlling her emotions than any time since turning pro eight years ago.
"I guess I am better at just knowing what to do on the court," said the 22-year-old. "I found my weapons on the court, and I know when to use them.
"I've been working a lot on every shot. I spend a lot of time on my conditioning. If I'm faster, it helps me to play my game, to be aggressive on the court."
In another early women's match Thursday, two-time champion Venus Williams defeated Rossana De Los Rios 6-0, 6-3.
The seventh-seeded Williams moves through to the third round where she will play Alona Bondarenko who beat Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 on Thursday.
Kei Nishikori advanced when Roko Karanusic, of Croatia, retired at the end of the second set with the Japanese teen leading 6-1, 7-5.
Nishikori, who is playing in his first US Open, advances to the third round where he will face the winner of a match between fourth seed David Ferrer, of Spain, and Andreas Beck of Germany.
"I tried to go to the net more often, because he was using the slice a lot," Nishikori said. "I tried to make more first serves. He gets more nervous when I make my first serve."