The legend
Retirement will wait.
By winning against the modest Montenegrin Danka Kovinic (6-3, 6-3), Serena Williams postponed the hour of farewell in front of 23,800 fans who only had eyes for her.
Sequined black outfit, hair styled in a lioness mane, the 40-year-old American put on a show on the Arthur Ashe, failing to produce great tennis.
Next obstacle, and not least the world number two, the Estonian Anett Kontaveit.
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Serena Williams Panoramic
Read alsoUS Open: "We love you Serena", the magnificent tifo in tribute to the US legend
The tribute
Images of the six-time US Open winner's greatest moments paraded.
The crowd gave him a deafening ovation, chanting "
GOAT
" ("
Greatest of all time
", "
the greatest of all time
").
In the stands, the stars were out (Lindsey Vonn, Bill Clinton, Hugh Jackman, Spike Lee or even Mike Tyson).
After her victory, Serena was treated to a second ceremony.
With a speech by the icon Bilie Jean King, dressed in pink for the occasion "
because it's your favorite color
", and a giant tifo "
We love Serena
" which moved the former world number one.
The feat
Directed by Colombian Daniel Galan.
The 94th in the world, who went through qualifying, brought down the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.
The 5th in the world, the main outsider of the tournament, falls from above.
The Greek, embarrassed in the right arm at the start of the game, notably conceded a terrible 6-0 and was trailing 5-0 in the second act.
After waking up and winning the third act, Tsitsipas saved eight match points before losing on the ninth in the fourth set.
He never went beyond the 3rd round in New York while he reached the final at Roland-Garros, the semi-finals in Australia and the round of 16 at Wimbledon.
The number
3
It is only the third time in his career that Stefanos Tsitsipas concedes a set without registering the slightest game. The first two players to inflict a 6-0 on him had a different standing than his executioner of the night.
They were named Rafael Nadal (Australian Open 2019) and Novak Djokovic (Masters 1000 Rome 2022)...
info
After the surprise elimination of Stefanos Tsitsipas, there are only four left who can become, become again or remain world number one at the end of this US Open: Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud.
The outsider
Serious and diligent against his great friend and compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis, whom he was facing for the first time on the big circuit, Nick Kyrgios did the job (70th), 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/ 4).
A success that reminds us that we will have to count on the 25th in the world, finalist of the last Wimbledon.
The beautiful story
Out of qualifying, Brandon Holt created the sensation by leaving Taylor Fritz.
The American hits hard for the first game of his career on the big circuit.
His feat logically moved his mother who could not hold back her tears.
And this mom is called Tracy Austin, winner in New York in 1979 and 1981 and who remains the youngest winner of the US Open.
The declared
Winner of the 2016 edition, Stan Wawrinka had to throw in the towel against Corentin Moutet, led two sets to nothing.
"
I'm getting closer to the end, that's for sure,
" said the Swiss.
I was injured for over a year.
It took me a long time to come back, physically and tennis-wise.
But I still love tennis and I want to be competitive a bit more before I quit
”.
The former winner
It's already over for Dominic Thiem, winner of the 2020 edition. The Austrian, who is struggling to regain his level of yesteryear, logically suffered the law of one of the men in form of the moment the Spaniard Pablo Carreno , winner of the Montreal Masters 1000 7-5, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.
Blues
There were therefore a total of 11 for the men and 7 for the women.
On the evening of the first day, seven (four players and three players) were eliminated.
It goes for five of them: Garcia, Bonzi, Grenier, Rinderknech, Moutet.
It breaks for Gaston, Halys, Humbert, Parry, Dodin, Tan and Jeanjean.
Arthur Rinderknech (58th) won the first Franco-French duel of this first round, dominating Quentin Halys (76th) 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 6-2.
The second duel between tricolors was won in five sets by Benjamin Bonzi (50th) at the expense of Ugo Humbert (138th and recipient of an invitation) 7-6 (7/1), 6-1, 5-7, 3 -6, 6-2.