Top seeds survive on day of mixed fortunes

Men’s singlesSelected 2nd round resultsIsner bt Monfils 7-5, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6Gasquet bt Robert 6-3, 7-5, 7-5Raonic bt Andújar 6-1, 6-2, 6-4Tipsarevic bt Sela 6-4, 6-4, 6-1Ferrer bt Bautista 6-3, 6-7, 6-1, 6-2Robredo bt Dancevic 6-4, 6-4, 6-1Dodig bt Davydenko 6-1, 6-4, 6-4WomenWozniacki bt Scheepers 6-1, 6-2Kirilenko bt Larcher de Brito 6-3, 6-1Lisicki bt Ormaechea 6-2, 6-3Kerber bt Bouchard 6-4, 2-6, 6-3Ivanovic bt Dulgheru 6-2, 6-1Kuznetsova bt Peng 6-1, 4-6, 6-4Vinci bt Safárová 4-6, 6-1, 6-2Jankovic bt Kleybanova 6-3, 6-2NEW YORK. The contrasting fortunes of grand slam tennis were on full display at the U.S. Open on Thursday. Some dreams were made while others were shattered.Victoria Duval, the teenaged American who had captured the hearts of New York with her feats both on and off the court, was knocked out in straight sets in a brutal reminder of how far she still has to go to reach the top.For Sara Errani, the world’s fifth ranked woman, the pressure of playing in the Big Apple became too much and she crumbled under pressure, tearfully admitting she had choked.The tournament’s biggest stars all survived unscathed, ruthlessly dispatching their opponents with a minimum of fuss in a sport where there is little room for sentiment if your ultimate aim is to collect grand slam titles.Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams have 45 major singles titles between them and the trio won their second round matches in straight sets, as they normally do. For them, the championship never really starts until the second week.TEST OF CHARACTERFor the vast majority, the last grand slam of the year is a stringent test of character from start to finish, where every win is cherished.There was no better example on Thursday than the Englishman Dan Evans, who is playing at the U.S. Open for the first time.Ranked 179th in the world, he needed to come through the qualifying tournament just to get into the main draw and was not expected to go much further.The formality of a first round exit was lost on the 23-year-old, however, as he tore up the script and carried his qualifying form onto the big stage.In his opening match, the Briton pulled off the biggest win of his career when he upset Japan’s Kei Nishikori, ranked 12th in the world, with many observers expecting that performance to be the highlight of his campaign.On Thursday, however, he won again, this time beating Bernard Tomic 1-6 6-3 7-6(4) 6-3, a win made all the more sweeter because the Australian’s father had snubbed him a year ago in Miami.Duval was thrust into the spotlight after she beat the 2011 U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur in the first round. But her run ended almost as soon as it began when she was beaten 6-2 6-3 by Daniela Hantuchova on an outside court. It was a quick lesson in the reality of professional tennis. “It was overwhelming. But I think this is what it’s all about,” Duval said.Errani, a semi-finalist in the Big Apple last year, crashed to a 6-3 6-1 loss to her Italian compatriot Flavia Pennetta then did something no-one expected. In a sport where players try to hide their smallest weaknesses, she revealed her darkest secret.“I’m feeling too much pressure,” the 26-year-old confessed. “I don’t know why, but I’m not enjoying going on the courts, and that is the worst thing a player can have.”Her mood was in stark contrast to Victoria Azarenka, last year’s runner-up beat Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak 6-3 6-1.EASY WINFederer, unflappable even as he struggles to add to his record collection of 17 grand slam singles titles, hardly broke into a sweat on a baking hot day as he brushed aside Argentina’s Carlos Berlocq 6-3 6-2 6-1.Nadal, who missed last year’s U.S. Open because of injury, brushed aside Rogerio Dutra Silva of Brazil 6-2 6-1 6-0.