Serena Williams says 'NO' to retirement with dominant victory at US Open
WTA
After announcing her retirement from professional tennis after the 2022 US Open, any match Serena Williams enters at this tournament could be her last.
In the first round of the 2022 US Open, the 23-time Grand Slam champion took on WTA World No. 80, Danka Kovinic who lost already five matches in a row without winning a set.
Serena Williams certainly wanted to extend the losing streak of her opponent, and she was supported by the full Arthur Ashe Stadium in her attempts to avoid retirement.
The experienced American started the match really well when she broke already in the second game and led 2-0 early on. However, the start of the match was very nervous from both players as they kept missing a lot of shots.
Therefore, it was Kovinic who was soon 3-2 up and was looking to extend her lead when she had an advantage. Serena Williams showed her greatness by winning 11 points in a row and breaking her opponent twice.
After 50 minutes, she was serving to win the first set, and despite facing four break points in the ninth game of the first set, she managed to prevail and win the first set 6-3.
In the second set, the 23-time Grand Slam champion improved in every aspect of the game. She started hitting more first serves and kept winning points after doing so. Moreover, she hit ten winners and only seven unforced errors.
Williams was also the only player to have break points in the set and she showed that she's ready to wreak havoc at the 2022 US Open as she defeated Kovinic 6-3, 6-3 in 102 minutes.
In the second round of the tournament, she will take on the second-seeded Anett Kontaveit. During her on-court interview, the six-time US Open champion was clearly delighted about the sport she received.
"I always just gotta do the best I can. The crowd really helped me."
