“I love coming out here in front of this NY crowd, it’s super special”, said the six-time champion, chasing an open-era record 23rd Grand Slam singles title.
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On the same day that younger sister Serena was due to launch her bid for a record seventh US Open title – and a record-setting 23rd Grand Slam crown – the elder Williams broke the Open Era mark she had shared with Amy Frazier for most Grand Slams contested.
A year on, despite a niggling injury to her right shoulder and in danger of losing her world number one ranking, Williams claims things are easier to handle.
In the decisive ninth game of the first set, and with Williams serving, Makarova bowed out meekly, as Williams ripped her sixth, seventh and eighth aces, the latter a 102 miles per hour missile that sailed past Makarova and gave the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion the first set. Each level of the game drops you in at match point for each of her 22 Grand Slam singles victories.
At the Rio Olympics, she lost in the third round of the singles tournament.
Gatorade describes “Serena Williams Match Point” as the “the first multi-level video game playable on the Snapchat platform” and follows on from previous partnerships including a successful Williams Snapchat lens which garnered 160 million impressions. And if Williams should lose early, Garbine Muguruza and Agnieszka Radwanska would also have a shot at No. 1 if they reach the final or win it.
She’ll look to bounce back at the U.S. Open, with first-round opponent Ekaterina Makarova as the first obstacle.
It was more of the same in the second set, though Williams wasted less time, breaking serve to love in the fifth game for a 3-2 advantage.
Although she appeared untroubled by her shoulder, Williams said the proof of full fitness would come later. She paired the look with black high-waist trousers and chunky silver sandals and slipped on a pair of round glasses and a jean jacket to watch the night match in Arthur Ashe stadium.
As the US Open commences world tennis can only hope injury doesn’t plague Williams’ campaign, that we are gifted with another prodigious Open whether that be with Williams in the final or not.
“I got off to a really fast start – I wanted to get some momentum”. “She was just putting balls in play, but that’s the past”. Rarely did she have to make the follow-up volley, so good was her set-up from the back.
Vesnina and Kasatkina had become a team to beat in Makarova’s absence, but with a second Olympic appearance on the line, the two-time Grand Slam winners reunited this spring at the Mutua Madrid Open, a four-year anniversary of sorts.
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Andy Murray of Britain will face Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic in the other evening match.
