Sunday, August 28, 2022. 11:56
(Update : Sunday, August 28, 2022. 9:12 PM)
The first day of the United States Open will reach its climax in the evening on Monday, with the entry into the running of Serena Williams, who could, in the event of a defeat against Montenegrin Danka Kovinic, play at the Arthur Ashe stadium the last single of his prodigious career.
A loss in this first round would not however constitute the last match of the American at the 23 Grand Slams, because she is engaged with her older sister Venus in the women’s doubles.
Quebecer Leylah Fernandez will start the competition on the Louis Armstrong by facing Océane Odin in the evening, around 9 p.m.
Among the leaders to follow, the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas on the Louis Armstrong, as well as the Quebecer Félix Auger-Aliassime and the American Taylor Fritz on the Grandstand.
Auger-Aliassime will play in the early afternoon against Swiss qualifier Alexander Ritschard, immediately after the duel between Ontario’s Bianca Andreescu and Harmony Tan.
The other Canadian in action is Rebecca Marino, who will play Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the afternoon.
The winner of the previous edition, Daniil Medvedev, will open the Arthur Ashe, where he was crowned last year, shattering the dream of Novak Djokovic’s calendar Grand Slam, absent because not vaccinated. He will face the American Stefan Kozlov.
On this same court, the Australian Nick Kyrgios will play in closing against his compatriot Thanasi Kokkinakis.
Serena’s last dance?
The Williams sisters, who have won 14 Grand Slam titles together, including the US Open twice, will play on Wednesday or Thursday. But for Serena, who is considered the greatest player of all time, even though she remains one length away from the all-time Majors record held by Australia’s Margaret Court, it is the singles that prevails.
Also, the confrontation with Kovinic, 80th in the world, will already be for her a match for survival.
“I hope she will have fun”, commented the four-time winner of the tournament John McEnroe, strong however of a certainty concerning his compatriot: “Serena does not come to lose in the first round. »
However, she was beaten as soon as she entered the competition in June at Wimbledon by the 115th world, the French Harmony Tan, for her return to singles after a year of absence, due to a leg injury. Then, the former world No. 1, now down to 413th place, only spent one lap in Toronto, then lost to Cincinnati.
So Kovinic has everything from the trap, she who reached the third round at Roland-Garros in May where she only yielded against the unplayable world No. 1 Iga Swiatek, and at the Australian Open in January where she notably had beat Britain’s Emma Raducanu, all crowned with her surprise triumph in New York a few months earlier.
Another element to take into account, the devastating Serena Williams still inspires respect but no longer scares her opponents as much as she impressed in her prime.
On the other hand, she will be able to count on the support of the boiling New York public, in the biggest and noisiest tennis arena in the world. Her fans will be all the more behind her as every match can now be her last.