NEW YORK, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- Maria Sharapova, Kim Clijsters and Venus Williams were easy second-round winners Wednesday at the 2005 U.S. Open tennis tournament at Flushing Meadow.
Sharapova, who ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the world and is the 2004 Wimbledon champion, was a third-round Open loser last year. She beat Dally Randriantefy 6-1, 6-0.
Clijsters ousted Fabiola Zuluaga 7-5, 6-0. Williams slaughtered Maria Kirilenko 6-1, 6-3. Her sister Venus beat Catalina Castano, 6-2, 6-2.
In men's play, Lleyton Hewitt beat 2002 French Open champion Albert Costa, 6-1, 6-2, 6-1. In a highly entertaining match Wednesday night, unheralded Scoville Jenkins ran out of gas in the late stages and lost to No. 2 Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. Also winning was No. 15 Dominik Hrbaty.
