Serena Williams beats Danka Kovinic to extend New York farewell
Serena Williams extended her US Open farewell with a gritty opening win on an entertaining night packed with hope and celebration in New York.
Williams, who is set to retire after the tournament, won 6-3 6-3 against Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic.
A near-capacity 25,000 crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium willed on their idol and she responded in typical fashion.
Williams, 40, will play Estonian second seed Anett Kontaveit in the second round on Wednesday.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, who is one short of Australian Margaret Court’s all-time record, is also playing in the doubles alongside older sister Venus, adding another exciting element to what she hopes will be a long goodbye this fortnight.
Her first assignment was beating Kovinic, ranked 80th in the world, and there was a thunderous noise when she took the first of three match points to ensure her singles career was not over yet.
Williams jumped on the spot when Kovinic’s return hit the net, then twirled in the centre of court before blowing kisses to her adoring fans.
Williams has long been more than a tennis player and it was a sign of her status – as an American icon and one of the world’s most recognisable sport stars – that she announced her retirement in an essay for glossy fashion magazine Vogue.
Although the former world number one did not use the word retirement itself, preferring to say she was “evolving away” from the sport, there is no mistaking her intention is to end her glittering career this fortnight at her home major.
Suitably, for what could have been her final match, it was a night of celebrity and glamour.
Williams unsurprisingly arrived on court to a rapturous reception, moments after the stadium watched a video montage in celebration of what she has achieved as a player and a person.
Kovinic had already come out to court, leaving her with a long – and what must have been a nervous – wait next to her chair.
Film director Spike Lee, who called Williams his “little sister” in a video released earlier on Monday, took part in the coin toss, while Vogue editor Anna Wintour, another close personal friend, was sat in her support box behind the player’s family.
Other famous faces picked out by the stadium cameras included former US President Bill Clinton, soul singer Gladys Knight, boxer Mike Tyson and model Bella Hadid. (Courtesy BBC)
