Women's wrap: Thursday, Aug 29

Top-ranked defending champion Serena Williams rolled into the third round of the US Open on Thursday while Italian fourth seed Sara Errani, a 2012 semifinalist, was beaten by one of her best friends.
Williams, seeking her 17th Grand Slam titlehttp://pageeasy.com/castlhat/ and fifth US Open crown, beat 77th-ranked Galina Voskoboeva 6-3, 6-0. Williams won the last eight games, breaking to capture each set, and advanced in 69 minutes.
"Galina played very well in the first set. You can see how much she has improved," Williams said. "But I played pretty well myself."
Yaroslava Shvedova, like Voskoboeva a Russian-born Kazakh player, beat Austrian Patricia Mayr-Achleitner 6-2, 6-3 to put herself into the world No 1's path.
Williams would become the oldest US Open women's champion at 31 if she repeats on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts.
Errani, last year's French Open runner-up, was in tears after falling to 83rd-ranked Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-1 in 71 minutes.
"It was difficult," Errani said. "The worst thing was the 'fight.' Normally it's the best thing I do on the court and today it was not good. I don't know why. I think it's the pressure. Everything was very difficult for me."
Pennetta, a former world number 10, said thehttps://twitter.com/donnanicoler hardest part for her was facing a friend.
"We know each other really well," she said. "It's not easy to play against your friend so well but you have to get on the court and play your best."
Pennetta improved to 4-2 against Errani in their first meeting off clay, smacking seven aces and 33 winners.
Pennetta will next face Russian 29th seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open winner who defeated China's 37th-ranked Peng Shuai 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
"I never beat her. She's a really good player, a strong powerful player," Pennetta said. "She also doesn't have a lot of good wins the last two years and she is also my friend, but you have to put that aside when you go on the court."
In another upset, Japanese qualifier Kurumi Nara advanced to the third round by defeating Romanian 19th seed Sorana Cirstea 7-5, 6-1. Nara next faces Serbian ninth seed Jelena Jankovic, who beat Russian Alisa Kleybanova 6-3, 6-2.
AZARENKA ADVANCES TO THIRD ROUND
Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka advanced to the third round by defeating Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak 6-3, 6-1.
Belarus second seed Azarenka moved into a matchup against French 26th seed Alize Cornet for a berth in the last 16.
Azarenka, who had 16 winners and 19 unforced errors, improved to 3-0 in top-level matches against Wozniak, who until this week had played only two matches in the past 12 months because of a right shoulder injury.
"I'm glad I got the first set," Azarenka said. "I was able to force the rhythm better in the second set."
WOZNIACKI ROARS INTO THIRD ROUND
Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki raced to a 6-1 6-2 win over South Africa's Chanelle Scheepers to reach New Era Snapbacks Wholesale the third round.
The sixth-seeded Dane, made to work hard for her first-round victory over Chinese qualifier Duan Yingying, dropped her first service game on Arthur Ashe Stadium court but never looked back in the 67-minute romp.
"I'm really pleased with the way I was moving today and moving from defense to offense," Wozniacki said on-court.

Wozniacki will next play Italy's Camila Giorgi, a 6-4 7-6 (8) winner over Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan.

Four Kiwi crews qualify for finals

      A clean sweep of semifinal qualifiers gave Rowing New Zealand another boost at the world rowing championships today.
All four Kiwi boats in the semifinals at Chungju, South Korea, advanced to their finals on Sunday, giving the national team seven entries into the last two days of finals at the regatta.
The New Zealand men's double sculls crew of Michael Arms and Robbie Manson opened proceedings when they were second in the second http://castlhat.yolasite.com/ semifinal in their class to comfortably make Sunday's final.
The duo, who have won all three World Cup regattas this season in Sydney, Eton Dorney and Lucerne, finished behind Lithuania with Italy third.
Norway, Germany and Argentina were the crews to qualify from the first semifinal.
The Kiwi women's double sculls combination of Zoe Stevenson and Fiona Bourke were then second in the first of the two semifinals to also advance, with the first three from each semi qualifying. Lithuania were again winners, with Belarus third while Great Britain, Germany and Denmark will also contest the final.
The Kiwi duo, who joined up as a crew last summer, have made a fine fist of their first year together, with a win in Sydney and a third place in Lucerne in their two World Cup appearances.
The New Zealand lightweight men's four still have a chance to win their fourth major title of the year by finishing second in the second of the semifinals in their class.
The crew of Curtis Rapley, Peter Taylor, James Lassche and James Hunter led for the first 1500m before being passed by Great Britain but staved off late finishes from Olympic champs South Africa (third) Cheap Snapbacks For Sale
They advanced to Sunday's final, where they will seek to complete a perfect season with a win to follow their three World Cup triumphs this year.
Arch-rivals Denmark won the first semifinal, with France and the United States also qualifying.
Kiwi women's single sculler Emma Twigg was second in her semifinal to compete a hugely successful day for New Zealand boats.
Twigg, fourth at the London Olympics, kept close to winner Kim Crow, of Australia, to indicate she's a definite contender in Sunday's final, with Eleanor Logan, of the US, third.
Earlier, NZ men's lightweight single sculler Duncan Grant won his C final while women's lightweight single sculler Louise Ayling was second in the B final. The Kiwi men's four won their C final while the NZ men's quad were second in their C final.

Three New Zealand boats will contest finals in Chungju tomorrow - the men's pair of Hamish Bond and Eric Murray,https://twitter.com/murieleileera the women's pair of Kayla Pratt and Rebecca Scown and the women's lightweight double sculls crew of Lucy Strack and Julia Edward.