''I thought she [ie. Serena] played really well, and when I had a small chance, I thought, this is a really important shot; but it's hard to hit the shot that you know you have to hit well,'' she said, speaking about a game which had plenty of big hitting moments from both players.

''I can enjoy this much more than as a regular loss,'' she went on.

Serena Williams scythed through the first set in a little over 15 minutes, but Ms. Kanepi reversed the trend in the second set, playing some strong smashes and passing shots, as well as the cross-court forehand for which she's famed.

''So far as the feedback which I have received goes, people are saying that I had a good game and fought well, so I will have to go along with that,'' she said.

Kaia Kanepi, 34, from Haapsalu and ranked 44th in the WTA ladies' tennis rankings, has a good record at the US Open, having reached the quarter finals (ie. the fifth round) this time last year.

"I havn't made any plans yet, but I look forward to the US Open every year," she concluded.

The full interview clip (in both English and Estonian) is here.