US Open 2022: Serena Williams Wins First Round With Straight Sets Victory Over Danka Kovinic

Serena Williams is not ready to say goodbye just yet. Nor, clearly, are her fans. And she heard them, loud and clear. In her first match at what is expected to be the last US Open 바카라� and last tournament 바카라� of her remarkable playing career, even if she insists that she won바카라�t quite say so, Williams overcame a shaky start to overpower Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-3.

What memory will stick with her the most from the evening? 바카라�When I walked out, the reception was really overwhelming. It was loud and I could feel it in my chest. It was a really good feeling,바카라� said the owner of six U.S. Open championships and 23 Grand Slam titles overall, numbers unsurpassed by any other player in the sport바카라�s professional era.

바카라�It바카라�s a feeling I바카라�ll never forget,바카라� she added. 바카라�Yeah, that meant a lot to me.바카라� This opening outing against Kovinic, a 27-year-old from Montenegro ranked 80th, became an event with a capital 바카라�E.바카라� Spike Lee participated in the pre-match coin toss.

Former President Bill Clinton was in the stands. So were Mike Tyson and Martina Navratilova, sitting next to each other. And sitting with Dad and Grandma was Williams바카라� daughter, Olympia, who turns 5 on Thursday, wearing white beads in her hair just like Mom did while winning the U.S. Open for the first time at age 17 back in 1999.

Williams is now 40, and told the world three weeks ago via an essay for Vogue that she was ready to concentrate on having a second child and her venture capital firm. Asked after her victory Monday whether this will definitively be her final tournament, Williams replied with a knowing smile: 바카라�Yeah, I바카라�ve been pretty vague about it, right?바카라�

Then she added: 바카라�I바카라�m going to stay vague, because you never know.바카라� The night session drew 29,000 folks, a high for the tournament 바카라� more than 23,000 were in Ashe; thousands more watched on a video screen outside the arena 바카라� and the place was as loud as ever. Certainly, louder than any other first-round match in memory.

Both players called the decibel level 바카라�crazy.바카라� Kovinic said she couldn바카라�t hear the ball come off Williams바카라� racket strings 바카라� or even her own. Early, Williams was not at her best. Maybe it was the significance of the moment. There were double-faults. Other missed strokes, missed opportunities. She went up 2-0, but then quickly trailed 3-2.

Then, suddenly, Williams, looked a lot like the champion she바카라�s been for decades and less like the player who came into this match with a 1-3 record since returning to action in late June after nearly a year off the tour.

바카라�At this point, honestly, everything is a bonus for me, I feel,바카라� Williams said. 바카라�It바카라�s good that I was able to get this under my belt. ... I바카라�m just not even thinking about that. I바카라�m just thinking about just this moment. I think it바카라�s good for me just to live in the moment now.바카라�

She rolled through the end of that opening set, capping it with a service winner she reacted to with clenched fists and her trademark cry of 바카라�Come on!바카라� That was met with thunderous cheers and applause 바카라� as was the ending of the 1-hour, 40-minute contest, as if another trophy had been earned.

Instead, there is plenty more work to be done. Williams will play in the second round of singles on Wednesday against No. 2 seed Anett Kontveit of Estonia. And there바카라�s also doubles, too: Williams and her sister, Venus, are entered together in that competition, with their initial match slated for Wednesday or Thursday.

바카라�Just keep supporting me,바카라� Williams told the spectators, 바카라�as long as I바카라�m here.바카라� They surely will. They were there to honor her and show appreciation for what she바카라�s done on the court and off. After watching the victory over Kovinic, spectators held up blue, white or red placards that were distributed at their seats to spell out 바카라�We (Heart) Serena.바카라�

After Kovinic was introduced simply by name, making clear to even her what an afterthought she was on this muggy evening, Williams바카라� entrance was preceded by a tribute video narrated by Queen Latifah, who called the American the 바카라�Queen of Queens.바카라�

The arena announcer called Williams 바카라�the greatest of all time,바카라� and intoned: 바카라�This U.S. Open marks the final chapter of her storied tennis history.바카라� She means a lot to a lot of people. As a tennis player. As a woman. As an African American. As a mother. As a businesswoman.

바카라�When she started out, female athletes weren바카라�t getting recognized. She바카라�s done so much,바카라� said Quintella Thorn, a 68-year-old from Columbus, Georgia, making her eighth trip to the U.S. Open. 바카라�And now, she바카라�s ...바카라�

바카라�Evolving,바카라� chimed in Thorn바카라�s friend, Cora Monroe, 72, of Shreveport, Louisiana, using the word Williams says she prefers to 바카라�retirement.바카라�

Which is why Monday mattered more than the usual Day 1 at a major tournament. And why the daily program did not make mention of any other of the dozens of athletes in action, showing instead a montage of six images of Williams holding her six U.S. Open trophies above the title: 바카라�Serena Williams, A Legacy of Greatness.바카라�

And why there was a sense of less importance for matches involving wins for other elite players such as past U.S. Open champions Bianca Andreescu, Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev, or French Open finalist Coco Gauff, an 18-year-old American.

After her own 6-2, 6-3 victory over Leolia Jeanjean earlier in the day, Gauff looked forward to sitting in Ashe herself to watch Williams, someone she credits with inspiring her to play tennis. Gauff바카라�s original plan was to tune in on TV, but then she decided this was too important to miss.

바카라�Everybody is going to be on her side. I바카라�m going to be cheering for her,바카라� Gauff said. 바카라�It바카라�s going to be probably one of the most electric matches that will ever happen in tennis.바카라� Lived up to the billing. Now there is more to come for Williams and her supporters.