Open account with a tidy 6-3 6-3 win over Ekaterina Makarova on Tuesday, to join her sister Venus in the second round of the year’s final grand slam.
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In doing so, Williams equalled Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam titles.
Williams’ strengths are her serve which is a unsafe weapon which has bailed her out of trouble, over and over again, and if her shoulder is feeling at 100% in NY, she should have little problems going on a deep run at Flushing Meadows.
Other Top 10-seeded winners on Day 2 were No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska rocking American Jessica Pegula 6-1, 6-1; No. 5 Simona Halep destroying Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 6-0, 6-2; No. 6 Venus Williams forced to work past unheralded Kateryna Kozlova of the Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 6-4; and No. 10 Karolina Pliskova beating USA wildcard Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-3.
It was her 72nd appearance at a Grand Slam and she won first round of US Open for the 18th time.
Djokovic, who is now ranked No. 1 in men’s singles, will compete in the U.S. Open as the top-seeded male player.
The 29th-seeded Querrey lost to Janko Tipsarevic 7-6 (4), 6-7 (0), 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday.
Venus was forced to dig deep against Kozlova, eventually prevailing 6-2 5-7 6-4.
The 19th-seeded Johnson outlasted Evgeny Donskoy 4-6, 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-3 in 3 hours, 13 minutes.
Halep, a victor of three WTA Tour events this season, carried her superb form into Flushing Meadows as she needed just one hour on a sun-splashed but nearly vacant Arthur Ashe Stadium court to dismiss the 56th-ranked Belgian.
The 37-year-old set a US Open record with 61 aces on his way to a first-round victory – 22 of them in the second set alone as Karlovic passed Richard Krajicek’s record of 49 set 17 years ago.
“It was great to be challenged and to be pushed”, said the 36-year-old Venus, a two-time US Open champion, “because I had to get in those situations that you know you’re going to face in the tournament”. However, there are minor concerns about Serena’s health and skills as she takes part in the final major match of the season. Fortunately for Venus, she powered through and advanced to the second round following the 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory.
After Radwanska, there was Simona Halep, the fifth seed, who dominated Kirsten Flipkens to move on to the second round as well.
The late wobble, in front of a crowd that included compatriot Nadia Comeneci – the first gymnast to be awarded a ideal score of 10 – had Halep rating her own performance “less than nine”. “She’s not intimidated”, Williams said. Each opportunity becomes increasingly precious at this point in her career.
Halep, who reached the semifinals of the US Open previous year, will next face Lucie Safarova, a 6-4, 6-4 victor over Daria Gavrilova.
Serena has been bothered by a shoulder injury, playing only three matches since winning Wimbledon for her 22nd Grand Slam title.
Later, the 34-year-old tweeted a new Nike ad featuring a who’s who of brand athletes and celebrities singing her praises. “He’s a tough, tough opponent, a big, strong guy”.
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No. 2 Andy Murray vs. Lukas Rosol No. 3 Stan Wawrinka def. Fernando Verdasco, 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-4 No. 6 Kei Nishikori def. Benjamin Becker, 6-1, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 No. 8 Dominic Thiem vs. John Millman No. 11 David Ferrer def. Alexandr Dolgopolov, 6-5 (ret.) Jared Donaldson def.
