The first time Venus Williams served for the match, she double-faulted. Then she double-faulted again. Her opponent, the plucky 25-year-old Irina Falconi, won the break, pumping dim life back into an otherwise ineffective effort.
But the second time Williams served for the match in the second set, losing that game as well, what was looking like a breezy advancement into the third round was turning into a protracted battle.
The momentum carried Falconi to a win in the tiebreaker, sending Williams into a third set for the second time in this United States Open.