Latest on US Open: No. 2 Simona Halep posts another easy win
By Associated Press
Sep 3, 2015 2:11 PM CDT
Spectators watch as Garbine Muguruza, of Spain, serves against Johanna Konta, of the United Kingdom, during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)   (Associated Press)

NEW YORK (AP) — The latest on the U.S. Open (all times local):

2:50 p.m.

Simona Halep is feeling more comfortable as the No. 2 seed at the U.S. Open.

A year ago, she arrived at Flushing Meadows seeded second at a major for the first time. She was pushed to three sets in her opening match then upset in the third round by a qualifier.

No such problems so far this time. Halep has dropped just nine games through two rounds. She beat qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday.

Recalling what happened when she reached No. 2 in the world for the first time, Halep said in an on-court interview: "I lost my mind a little bit."

"I couldn't be focused for what I have to do," she added. "With experience now I'm much better. I feel I have much more confidence in myself. I'm stronger mentally — and physically."

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2:35 p.m.

Wimbledon runner-up Garbine Muguruza is out of the U.S. Open.

The ninth-seeded Spaniard was upset by qualifier Johanna Konta 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 6-2 in the second round Thursday. At 3 hours, 23 minutes, it was the U.S. Open's longest women's match since the tournament introduced tiebreakers in 1970.

Muguruza had made at least the fourth round at the year's first three majors, losing to Serena Williams in the Wimbledon title match.

Three of the four women who had reached Grand Slam finals in 2015 are already gone from the U.S. Open before the third round: Australian Open runner-up Maria Sharapova withdrew because of injury, and French Open runner-up Lucie Safarova was upset in the first round. The only one left is the woman who beat them all in those title matches, Williams.

With Muguruza's defeat, six of the top 10 seeds in the women's draw are out at Flushing Meadows.

Muguruza had lost her opening match at her next two tournaments after Wimbledon. The U.S. Open is the only major at which the 21-year-old Muguruza has failed to make at least the fourth round in her young career. She had never even won a match at Flushing Meadows before Tuesday.

Konta, a 24-year-old Brit ranked 97th in the world, is into the third round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. She is now on a 15-match winning streak after capturing titles at two lower-level events then advancing through U.S. Open qualifying.

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1:10 p.m.

Struggling with dizziness and shut out in the first set, 16th-seeded Sara Errani rallied to win her second-round match at the U.S. Open on Thursday.

The diminutive Italian took a medical timeout after dropping the first five games, complaining of dizziness. The soft-serving Errani was broken nine times but found a way to beat 18-year-old qualifier Jelena Ostapenko 0-6, 6-4, 6-3 in 2 hours on a hot, humid day.

Errani said she woke up not feeling well, blaming the powerful air conditioning of New York hotels.

But the 2012 French Open runner-up could rely on her experience against the 114th-ranked Latvian, who was playing in her first U.S. Open. Ostapenko was unable to hold serve once in the final set, getting broken in her final six service games.

Errani won a match despite getting "bageled" in a set for the second straight U.S. Open. She beat Venus Williams 6-0, 0-6, 7-6 (5) in the third round last year.

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