Serena Williams ’ quest for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam got off the mark while Venus Williams bowed out of the US Open in the first ...
Serena Williams’ quest for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam got off the mark while Venus Williams bowed out of the US Open in the first round for the first time in her professional career on Tuesday, losing in straight sets to Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic.
There were no major upsets in the women’s draw even as former champions Venus and Kim Clijsters exited early.
The 38-year-old Serena overcame the loss of her first service game in the opening set to power past Kristie Ahn 7-5, 6-3 at a virtually empty Arthur Ashe Stadium, where artwork by black artists is displayed in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement against racial injustice.
She took a few games to get into the swing of things, giving up her serve early on with a double fault. But once she was in her groove there was no stopping her, smashing 13 aces as she dispatched Ahn in one hour 21 minutes.
The 40-year-old Venus, making her 22nd appearance at Flushing Meadows in a career that has spanned four decades, was beaten 6-3, 7-5.
It marked her second consecutive first round defeat at a Grand Slam event after exiting the Australian Open at the same stage in January.
Muchova – who was only one when Williams...
