U.S. Open: Venus Williams serve drills ball boy below the belt

Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Venus Williams walked away with a U.S. Open victory Friday but the ball boy left with a loss after getting hit in the groin with her serve.

Williams was battling Greece's Maria Sakkari in round three of the tournament at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. She won the match 6-3, 6-4.

During the match, Williams fired a serve at Sakkari. Sakkari lunged to her left to try and return, but she held up. The ball traveled past her toward a ball boy. The ball boy attempted to catch the bouncing ball, but his hands were too late to react. The ball went right through his fingertips and drilled him between the legs.

Williams' fastest serve during the victory was 113 mph. Her average serve speed was 94 mph.

After getting hit, the ball boy bent over in agony, before collecting himself and taking a very deep breath.

Men's tennis star Roger Federer had some fun at the ball boy's expense. He tweeted a GIF of the incident, using several emojis. Those emojies included a jewel and a S.O.S. symbol.

Williams' sister Serena delivered her first child on Friday with husband Alexis Ohanian. The baby girl was born at St. Mary's Medical Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Venus battles Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro in the Round of 16.