March 18, 2024

Williams overcomes three early double-faults to win

NEW YORK (AP) — Good as she is, even Serena Williams can find it tough to deal with swirling wind, so much so that she double-faulted three times in her first service game Thursday at the U.S. Open.

And, yes, even a 17-time major champion such as Williams can lose in the early going at the sport’s biggest tournaments, as she has repeatedly in 2014.

Quickly putting behind a poor-serving start, and showing absolutely no other signs of the type of up-and-down play that has plagued her at Grand Slams this season, Williams dismissed 81st-ranked American Vania King 6-1, 6-0 in 56 minutes to reach the third round.