Sara Errani's eyes filled with tears when describing how she felt during her lopsided loss at the U.S. Open.
''I don't want to play. I don't want to stay out there on the court,'' she said.
It showed in the fourth-seeded player's 6-3, 6-1 loss Thursday to her Italian friend and teammate, Flavia Pennetta, that went down as the biggest upset so far at the year's final Grand Slam tournament.
Errani came into the U.S. Open with the highest seeding ever for an Italian woman at a major and said the pressure of the high seeding and the high expectations that comes with that are getting to her.
''I don't know why, but I'm not enjoying going on the courts, and that is the worst thing a player can have,'' she said. ''Because if you go there and you fight and you lose, not my problem. But the problem is, if you go there and you are not fighting. That is my best thing that I always had as my good thing. And I have to find a way.''
Pennetta took control of this match by breaking Errani's serve in the first game, then never looked back. She finished with 33 winners to 12 for Errani, who made the semifinals here last year after reaching the final in the French Open.
Her ranking shot up and many wondered how she did it, with a serve that topped out around 85 mph, no net game to speak of and no huge weapons from the baseline.
It was mostly grit and heart - and when those aren't present, well, she gets results like she got Thursday.
''We have to find the solution, because is I think these things happen to everybody when you feel on the top and the people playing against you have no pressure and you have a lot of pressure,'' Errani said.
Pennetta improved to 4-2 lifetime against Errani. At 31, Pennetta is five years older than her Italian Fed Cup and Olympic teammate, and she is no stranger to the big stage.
Four years ago, Pennetta became the first Italian woman to crack the top 10. She's a three-time quarterfinalist at the U.S. Open but came to Flushing Meadows this week an underdog - ranked 83rd, a slide that began when she missed the end of last year with a wrist injury.
''I tried to play aggressive from the very beginning and I was perfect today, I think,'' Pennetta said.
