Venus exits US Open in first round again

NEW YORK (AP):

THE WELCOME and support for Venus Williams in Arthur Ashe Stadium yesterday afternoon were not the same as they were for her sister, Serena, a night earlier. Nor was the result.

Venus, who turned 42 in June, has not made any pronouncements about her future in tennis, unlike her younger sibling, and while she has been successful and influential, too – a seven-time Grand Slam champion; a black woman in a predominantly white sport – the fanfare and attention are not the same.

Playing in front of thousands of empty blue seats in an arena quite silent at the start, Venus bowed out in the first round of the US Open for the second consecutive appearance, losing 6-1, 7-6 (5) to Alison Van Uytvanck.

“She means so much to female tennis. Tennis, in general,” Van Uytvanck said. “She’s a legend.”

This was the 23rd trip to Flushing Meadows for Venus, who made it to the final in 1997 as a teen then won the trophy in 2000 and 2001, and her record 91st time participating in a major tournament.

Venus had never lost in the opening round at the US Open until 2020, then was absent last year. She was off the tour in singles entirely from August 2021 until less than a month ago and is now 0-4 since her return. Her ranking – which 20 years ago was No. 1 – is 1,504th this week.

It was Serena who announced to the world on August 9 that she was getting ready to step away from her playing career, leaving unclear exactly when the end would be, although she hinted it could come at the US Open. So her first-round match on Monday fell into the category of a must-see happening, drawing a record crowd of more than 29,000 to the tournament grounds, including more than 23,000 in Ashe – and the atmosphere was uproarious and electric from start to finish of her 6-3, 6-3 victory over Danka Kovinic.

Now Serena, who won six of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles in New York, will move on to a matchup against No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit in Ashe tonight.

And she and Venus will join forces in doubles, teaming up for the first time anywhere since 2018 this week.

After this match, Venus simply slung her red equipment bag over her left shoulder, carried her racket in her right hand, and quickly walked off towards the locker room.

Van Uytvanck now meets Clara Burel, who eliminated Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 6-4, 6-4.

GRAND SLAM

Meanwhile, the Wimbledon women’s champion is also out in the first round, as Elena Rybakina lost 6-4, 6-4 to Clara Burel of France, who came through qualifying to earn a spot in the main draw. Rybakina was seeded only 25th, with her victory in the most recent Grand Slam not boosting her in the rankings because no points were awarded at the tournament this year.

Top-ranked Iga Swiatek powered into the second round, beating Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 6-0.

No. 8-seeded American Jessica Pegula also raced through her opening match, like Swiatek needing just more than an hour before beating Viktorija Golubic 6-2, 6-2.

Swiatek is just 5-4 since her 37-winning streak earlier this year, but the two-time French Open champion got sharper as the match went on yesterday, while supported by a number of Polish fans wearing red inside Louis Armstrong Stadium. She is trying to become the first player since Serena Williams in 2014 to win seven titles in a year.