Serena Williams’ Opponent Turns to Ball Boy For Comfort

Top-seeded Serena Williams got off to a blistering start once again at the U.S. Open on Monday. The all-star player was so good in her first match that her Italian opponent Francesca Schiavone turned to a ball boy to ease the pain a little.

She walked over to one of the ball boys and wrapped herself in his arms for comfort.

Her actions drew laughter from the crowd and Schiavone, a former French Open champion, suffered a large margin of defeat, 6-0, 6-1, to Williams at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“It was tough today,” Schiavone said. “Really, really tough.”

Williams, the defending champion, hardly broke a sweat. She frustrated Schiavone so much she tossed her racket into the stands, then grabbed and embraced the ball boy. Williams turned her back to keep from laughing.

“I just thought I have to stay focused and do what I can,” Williams said. “I wanted to just stay really focused out there.”

Williams won 71.4 percent of her serves and had 13 winners.

“She’s a great competitor,” Williams said of Schiavone. “The scoring line had nothing to do with the match. I was able to win some key points, but I’ll tell you it wasn’t very easy out there.”

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