Above: Thursday’s match

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Victoria Duval gave it all she had, but it wasn’t quite enough to top the 48th-ranked Daniela Hantuchova.

Duval, who stunned the tennis world with her opening-round victory over former US Open champion Samantha Stosur, lost in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.

Hantuchova dominated the first set, winning 6-2, but Duval stormed back, as the two players effectively alternated victories in the second set.

But when Hantuchova took a 4-3 lead, she was able to put away the Haitian-American Duval, who became an overnight sensation following her win over Stosur.

Duval showed tremendous poise throughout both matches, but she was done in against Hantuchova by a number of unforced errors.

Of course, Duval’s message — that she is very much here to stay — remained true, and it’s likely that her US Open showing is just the start of what could be a very special tennis career.