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The victory over the 80th ranked Kovinic, just her second this
year, will be a confidence boost for Williams but the path to a
record equalling 24th Grand Slam now gets treacherous.
Waiting in the wings is Estonian second seed Anett Kontaveit,
who breezed past Jaqueline Cristian 6-3 6-0.
Williams indicated her intention to retire in a Vogue article in
early August, saying she was "evolving away from tennis" but
never confirming the U.S. Open as her final event.
For tennis fans, however, the message was clear, the U.S. Open
would be where she would take her final bow.
Could there be an encore?
The former-world number one has played coy even refusing to rule
out next year's Australia Open.
But in a strange post-match ceremony celebrating her career,
which was not yet finished, Williams gave the clearest sign yet
that the U.S. Open will indeed be her last tournament and
expanded on that later in her press conference.
"It's extremely difficult still because I absolutely love being
out there," said Williams. "The more tournaments I play, I feel
like the more I can belong out there.
"But it's time for me, you know, to evolve to the next thing."
Pressed if the U.S. Open was definitely her last event Williams
again stepped back from the brink.
"I've been pretty vague about it, right," smiled Williams. "I'm
going to stay vague because you never know."
A montage of Williams career played before she appeared on court
that left the door open a crack for a return some day, "if you
ever decide to return Queen your throne will be waiting" ended
the video.
A defiant Williams, however, made it clear she was not giving up
that throne just yet.
SPECIAL ENERGY
There is always excitement on opening night at Flushing Meadows
but on Monday the teeming stadium crackled with a special energy
from the moment Williams appeared on court decked out in a
shimmering black robe and specially designed diamond encrusted
shoes.
The outfit may have sparkled more than the 40-year-old
American's play but it did not matter to a jam-packed Arthur
Ashe Stadium as Williams' fighting edge remained razor sharp
even if her serve and ground strokes were not.
"It’s so important to give your all," Williams told the adoring
crowd. "I’ve been down and out so many times, in the public eye.
"I just want people to be inspired by my story.
"I’m from Compton, California… and I made it."
Certainly there was no more fitting place to bring the curtain
down on one of tennis's most phenomenal careers than in a city
that has been in her corner from the very beginning, fuelling
runs to six U.S. Open crowns.
The magnitude of the moment was not lost on the 23,000 fans,
including, former U.S. president Bill Clinton, designer Vera
Wang, director Spike Lee and others who packed into Arthur Ashe
not expecting to see greatness but to celebrate it.
Having been world number one for 319 weeks, Williams arrived in
New York ranked below 600 and unseeded.
Even with Williams far from her best the odds were stacked
against the 27-year-old from Montenegro.
Playing in her 21st U.S. Open, Williams has never lost in the
first round and her victory over Kovinic was her 106th at
Flushing Meadows.
While Kovinic has been enjoying the best Grand Slam season of
her career reaching the third round of both the Australian and
French Open, she had not won a single match since Roland Garros.
As play got underway it was Williams showing signs of nerves,
piling up the double faults as Kovinic got in front 3-2.
But Williams, as she has done so many times, lifted her game
when she needed to, sweeping the next four games to snatch the
first set.
Now in charge, Williams would not let it slip away in the second
set, breaking to go up 3-2, and with match point and the crowd
on its feet, she danced in delight as Kovinic's return hit the
net.
(Reporting by Steve Keating in New York, additional reporting
Amy Tennery; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
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