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NEW YORK -- The condition of Serena Williams tender right shoulder has been the subject of serious speculation early and often at this 2016 edition of the US Open.In her first-round match, she sacrificed a little serving power for pinpoint placement, raising even more questions.The emphatic answers were provided Thursday night on Arthur Ashe Stadium, when the No. 1 seed faced fellow American Vania King. Three of Serenas first four points came on aces -- at 102 mph, 114 mph and, finally, 115 mph -- all out wide.It was a harbinger of disaster for King, who went fairly quietly, 6-3, 6-3. Serena, however, did not seem happy with the level of her play.Well, every match, at least for me, I like to do the best I can, she said in her on-court interview. So, hopefully, Ill be able to play better as time goes on.Some takeaways from the match that vaulted Serena into a third-round match against Johanna Larsson:No one brings the star power like Serena: Unlike, say, actress Bridget Moynahan and chef Marcus Samuelson, Beyonce and husband Jay Z werent in the prematch celebrity list for the evening session. But the powerfully musical couple, who spend a fair amount of time in New York, were sitting right there in the back of Serenas box. Serena appeared in Beyonces Lemonade video, and apparently, this was payback. Serenas 22 Grand Slam singles titles are one more than Jay Zs 21 top-10 songs. Beyonce trails the field with only 16.Its a bad matchup for King: They had only met once previously, right here at the US Open two years ago. With a huge advantage in the category of firepower, Serena dropped only a single game that time -- winning in 56 minutes. This time, the No. 87-ranked player lasted nine more minutes. Serena hit 13 aces, and one serve was clocked at 121 mph on Thursday. She hit 38 winners (on a total of 65 points). King, in her 37th Grand Slam appearance, had only four winners. She has yet to advance beyond the third round.Serena looks dialed in -- and its early: If youre going to catch her, its advisable to do it sometime in the first week. But what looked like a horrible draw -- the unseeded but dangerous Ekaterina Makarova in the first round -- was a blessing. Serena came out and slammed the Russian 6-3, 6-3 in 63 minutes. More importantly, Serena was thoroughly composed, almost meticulous in her play and comportment. The shoulder? So far, Serena said, so good.The pressure will become greater, later: A year ago, on the cusp of a calendar-year Grand Slam, Serena succumbed to nerves. She said shes more relaxed this year, and its probably true. Still, as she gets closer to the title here, the more history will come into play. A victory, as tennis fans know by now, would give her 23 major singles, one more than the Open era record of 22 that she shares with Steffi Graf. Not as well-known is the fact she can surpass Chris Everts six US Open titles and take the Open era record of seven here for herself.Oh, and did we mention the No. 1 thing? Serena is already the oldest player to ever hold the No. 1 ranking. With a win here, she can hold on to it for a little longer than her current 183 consecutive weeks. If No. 2 seed Angelique Kerber reaches the quarterfinals, a distinct possibility, Williams would need to get to the final to have a chance to retain the top spot. If Kerber and Serena meet in the final, the winner would walk away with No. 1. Wouldnt that be fun? Cheap Rays Jerseys . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. Custom Rays T-shirts . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. http://www.customraysjersey.com/ . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. Custom Evan Longoria Jersey . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. Custom Rays Jersey China .C. -- Chris Thorburn thinks one of the reasons the Winnipeg Jets have been successful under new coach Paul Maurice is that theyre playing together as a team. Saturday night at the Barclays Center, WBA featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 KOs) takes on Carl Frampton (22-0, 14 KOs) live on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET. Santa Cruz held world titles at bantamweight and junior featherweight before winning the WBA vacant title over longtime rival Abner Mares last August. Frampton, the Northern Ireland native, is coming off the biggest win of his career -- he unified the junior featherweight titles via split decision over Englands Scottt Quigg in February.ddddddddddddLets take a look at where the money has gone so far, along with opinions from boxing experts and trainers, and well ultimately end up at my pick as to who will lay claim to the mantle of best featherweight in the world.Jeff Sherman, assistant sportsbook manager at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, opened the fight with ' ' '