Serena Williams has extended her farewell tour at least two more days.
The 23-time major singles champion overcame early nerves and a misfiring serve to win 6-3, 6-3 over Montenegro’s Danka Kovinić in their US Open first-round match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, launching what’s expected to be the final tournament of her glittering 27-year professional career on a winning note.
Williams, who announced her planned retirement earlier this month, entered Monday night’s matchup ranked 605th in the world and having won one singles match in 450 days. But the American came through with her record 107th victory at the tournament she’s won six times before a sellout crowd that crackled with the atmosphere of a big-ticket final.
Williams, who turns 41 next month, faced constant pressure on her serve from the start, making five double-faults in her opening three service games and facing break points in each of them. But she found her stride in the later stages of the first set, rattling off 11 straight points capped by a love break for 5-3 before serving out the opener in 55 minutes.
Her serve only improved from there and Kovinić proved no match.
The road doesn’t get easier from here. Williams advances to face No 2 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in a second-round match on Wednesday.
Full report to follow …