This was not the sort of history that Svetlana Kuznetsova wanted to make.

The 20-year-old Russian, who last year became the first woman from her country to win in Flushing, yesterday became the first defending champion to lose in the first round. In a sloppy performance that lasted little more than an hour, Kuznetsova succumbed 6-3, 6-2 to Ekaterina Bychkova, 20, a fellow Russian playing her first match at a Grand Slam.

Since she won the title here last year, Kuznetsova, the no. 5 seed, has not met the high expectations many in the tennis world have placed on her. Upon leaving Flushing last year, she immediately won a tournament in Bali, but has not won a title since. As questions about her performance increased this season, Kuznetsova admitted to feeling tired, overwhelmed, and uncertain about how to succeed consistently. Yesterday, she seemed relieved that the opportunity to defend her title was behind her.

“Now nobody will disturb me about this,” Kuznetsova said.

As for the pressure on her to perform, Kuznetsova said she is responsible for most of it. Pressure or not, she said she was not about to give up.

“What do I do? Kill myself?” she said. “No, I don’t.”

But defeat herself she did. The Russian blasted 45 unforced errors, riddling the far corners of Louis Armstrong Stadium with tennis balls. Bychkova, meanwhile, committed just one error in the second set, while Kuznetsova made 20.

Unfortunately, this tendency toward error is not out of the ordinary for Kuznetsova. The woman knows no gear other than fifth. Last year, her willingness to punish every shot stunned a weakened woman’s field and carried her to the title. At times, Kuznetsova would play three or four games in a row without missing. Since then, however, she has been a model of inconsistency.

“It’s been a tough year,” she said. “I just want to have some time off and just start it again. I really believe I’m going to do well again.”

Serena Williams believes she is going to play well again, too, though she was far from her best yesterday in a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Yung-Jan Chan, a 16-year-old from Taipei. Williams found herself trailing 3-1 in the second set before she began to connect on her groundstrokes. A few times she shouted “C’mon!” as if she were in the middle of a semifinal match.

“I was really flat,” Williams said. “I was like, ‘Serena get more pep in your step.’ “

Williams, who played only one match this summer owing to various injuries, said she felt little pain on the court yesterday. Her serve consistently broke the 100 mph barrier, and her second serve often hit 90 mph. While Williams only landed 53% of her first serves, it was encouraging to see her hit it forcefully, something she did not do at Wimbledon and several previous tournaments. Williams, who last year lost to Jennifer Capriati in a quarterfinal match marred by terrible officiating, sounded excited to return to New York.

“I love the U.S. Open,” she said. “I love the court, I love everything about it. Except sometimes the line calls, but other than that . . .”

Chan, a top-ranked junior, was playing her first professional event. Before she arrived in Flushing this year, she had not even attempted to qualify for any tour events. But after losing only 11 games in last week’s qualifying tournament, she was thrust onto Arthur Ashe stadium for her first match. Though she was gracious in defeat, she was willing to say that Williams was no longer her dominant self.

“Her footwork is not that good, so maybe next time [I’ll] have more chance to beat her,” Chan said.

Of course, no Williams match is complete without some sort of fashion malfunction. This time, it was her $40,000 earrings, one of which fell off (she removed the other one). Next match, she said, she will put them on earlier.

After Serena finished discussing her wardrobe, her sister Venus took the court and brushed aside Rika Fujiwara of Japan, 6-3, 6-1.Though the Wimbledon champion lost her serve twice and hit three double faults, she struck more winners (18) than errors (15) and needed only an hour to win. Not bad, considering she played only one tournament this summer, missing all of August with the flu.

“I’m extra motivated,” she said. “I feel like I’m playing better than Wimbledon.”

Just like at Wimbledon, Venus and her sister are scheduled to meet in the fourth round. That match never materialized at the All England Club, and the sisters are not thrilled about the prospect of such an early meeting here. Serena, at least, was candid about her goals this year, saying that she was not here to watch her sister win her sixth Grand Slam title.

“No one gets me more motivated than Venus because I don’t want her to catch up with me yet,” Serena said. “She’s at five now. I still have seven.”

Kim Clijsters is still stuck on zero, though she looks about ready to do something about it. The Belgian won three tournaments this summer and could take home $2.2 million in prize money if she wins the title here. Yesterday, she breezed past qualifier Martina Muller 6-1, 6-2 in less than an hour.