Serena Williams has made her return memorable at the US Open by defeating Maria Sharapova, her long-time rival.
Williams, at 37 years of age, defeated Sharapova in a game that lasted 59 minutes. She won in a 6-1 6-1 match during the first round of the Grand Slam.
Just a year ago, Williams called out the umpire in her match against Naomi Osaka, which she lost. She called the official “a liar” and “a cheat”, which caused some controversy.
This year, however, the mood is rather different as Williams went on to defeat the Russian, now at 32 years old, for the 19th consecutive time.
Currently, Williams is looking to achieve her 24th Grand Slam title since she became a mom two years ago. During her match against Sharapova, Williams broke the Russian’s serve five times, and eased into the second round.
During the interview after the match, Williams said, “Obviously, I’m going against a player who has won five Grand Slams and reached the final of even more so I knew it would be tough… I was super intense and super focused because it was an incredibly tough draw.
“Whenever I come up against her I play my best tennis,” she added.
In the next round, Williams will be going against her compatriot, Catherine McNally. However, it was the draw against Sharapova and Williams on Thursday that set off the excitement at Flushing Meadows.
Naomi Osaka even said that she was planning to “set a timer” to ensure that she was able to see the match between two of the biggest names in tennis. Additionally, multiple Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer also shared that he would be watching the match as he prepares for his own game at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The excitement was not felt by the players alone, as the opening night saw Alec Baldwin and Mike Tyson watching among the fans.