NEW YORK - It won't be a sister act for a while. So call it a Serena solo. And it's quite a show. Across the river on Broadway, they'd describe the performance as bravura. On Arthur Ashe Court at the U.S. Open, it was just a good old rout.

The day after Venus Williams announced she was withdrawing from the tournament because of a fatiguing disease called Sjogren's syndrome, Serena in effect announced she was very much a possibility to win another championship.

Serena so overwhelmed Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands in a match that took only 49 minutes Thursday that when Krajicek finally won the second game of the second set, in a match Williams took 6-0, 6-1, the crowd stood and cheered.

No double bagel, as the tennis folk label a shutout.

No contest, either, even though some believed Serena, at 29 some 15 months younger than her sister, might be distracted after Venus' disclosure of a condition that had sapped her strength for some time.

There was no lack of concentration for Serena, no inability to focus.

"It really wasn't that difficult, to be honest,'' said Serena. "I mean, (Venus) wants me to do the best. She wouldn't want me to suffer. So now, if anything, it should motivate me."

Serena has just escaped her own combination of serious problems. After her 2010 Wimbledon victory, she was out of competition the next 11 months of competition. She underwent two operations to repair a torn tendon in her right foot, then additional hospitalization to recover from blood clots in both lungs and a hematoma that required more surgery.

Asked if it's harder to deal with Venus' sickness than her own ailments, Serena said: "I think both are tough. I mean, when you're sick, you're going through it and thinking, ‘Gosh, this is really annoying.' Then when it's so close to you, like Venus is going through, it's like, ‘Man, I'd rather it be me so she can be healthy.' ''

But she isn't. Sjogren's, which is the result of white blood cells attacking moisture-producing glands, never can be cured. It can be controlled by drugs, and Venus, in interviews Thursday morning with "Good Morning America" and the New York Times, said she was taking oral medication that usually needs three to six months to work. After that she plans to return to tennis, even though at 31 she is on the downside of a fantastic career.

Some have suggested Serena also is nearing the end of a tennis journey that has carried her to 13 Grand Slam titles. But one of the very best athletes in the sport - if not the best - Serena keeps returning to hit serves that her befuddled foes often can't return. She certainly looked brilliant against someone 183rd in the rankings.

"I just hope to keep my errors down and keep making my shots,'' said Serena, "and hopefully I'll be able to win five more matches. If not, I'm happy to be here."

Serena is emotional. And controversial. She also laughs more easily than Venus, who apparently feels a responsibility as the older of the two to be more businesslike. In her postmatch interview Thursday, Serena showed up in what could be described as a sleeveless, ragged-edged T-shirt with "Nike'' in huge letters across the front. And then, as part of a now-normal routine, she stood a liquid squeeze container with "G,'' for Gatorade, next to the microphone. Then, as almost a setup, a woman asked about Serena's nail polish, which she delightfully detailed.

Commercially, she doesn't miss a thing. Serena has been off and on the tennis tour the last decade, sometimes because of injuries, sometimes because of her choosing. She was into television acting for a while, and the great Billie Jean King, after whom the complex where the Open is held is named, bemoaned Serena's absences.

"She could have won more than anyone in history,'' King said.

So, much more dedicated, Serena returned. Now, after the surgeries, the question from some is why she stays.

"Um,'' she answered, "I definitely hate sitting at home and not doing anything. That really gets uncomfortable. I'm sitting there and watching tennis, and I'm like, ‘Hmm, I can beat them. Maybe I can do that.' So that's helped me.

"And I hate losing. I'm like the worst loser in the world ... and that kind of keeps me motivated and keeps me going."

What, someone wondered of Serena, will keep older sis Venus going?

"I know she's a fighter," Serena said. "She knows what (the disease) is after all this time. It's going to help her now to treat it and go forward."