Elena Baltacha bows out but eyes top 50

Elena Baltacha battled hard, but lost 7-6, 6-3 to Petra Kvitova

Baltacha lost a tight second-round contest 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 on Court Six at Flushing Meadows, but the points gained from her opening victory over Croatia's Petra Martic might be enough to move from 57th into the top 50 when the rankings are calculated after the year's final Grand Slam.

"It really will be very special," the 27-year-old said. "Obviously, it would have been really nice to win and get into the top 50 that way.

"But I know it depends on the girls around me, whether they defend their points here. We'll have to see after the tournament.

"I really believe that I am a top-50 player. I know that I'll have to improve, but I think I'm on my way now. I really do think my match, the first round here and today, does show me and it gives me more confidence that I am actually getting better now."

There was certainly little to separate Baltacha and Kvitova in New York, with Baltacha doing well to save two break points in the 11th game of the first set before her Czech opponent edged the tie-break. A single break of serve was enough for Kvitova to win the second set and Baltacha admitted: "She had more firepower and really started firing, especially in the second set.

"Then my first-serve percentage got worse. I think that was really the difference. I actually felt pretty comfortable. I felt I defended well, but it was just the serve. I gave her too many second serves in the second set.

"I feel I'm playing well. I really think I've improved. But by the end I really just had to scramble, just fight for every point, try to pick a corner, try and defend and hopefully she will miss. But she really did step it up."

Meanwhile, Kim Clijsters showed no mercy in her centre court clash against youngAustralian qualifier Sally Peers, who once pinned a photo of the Belgian on her bedroom wall.

"I'm just trying every match to grow so I'm ready when the opponents get tougher," Clijsters said after thumping her inexperienced opponent 6-2, 6-1 in less than an hour.

Venus Williams also romped to a comfortable 7-6, 6-3 victory over Canada's Rebecca Marino, while Italy's French Open champion Francesca Schiavone and Australia's Samantha Stosur, the woman she beat in the final at Roland Garros earlier in the summer, both advanced to the third round at Flushing Meadows in straight sets.