Former world number one Serena Williams’s march towards reclaiming her US Open title began in stunning fashion on Monday when she overpowered Sandra Kleinova 6-1, 6-3 in a first-round match.
Williams made quick work of Kleinova, taking just 53 minutes to finish off the 26-year-old from the Czech Republic in front of 23 000 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
”I think everyone out here would prefer to win all their matches really easy,” Williams said. ”I know I do. It saves my energy.”
There were no major upsets on the opening day of the $17,8-million Grand Slam event as men’s top seed Roger Federer hammered out a 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 win over Spain’s Albert Costa.
Williams advances to the second round where she will square off with American countrywoman Lindsay Lee-Waters.
The 22-year-old Williams had more winners (35-3) and aces (7-0) than Kleinova and won 83% of her first serve points.
”I am finally getting to a point where I’m actually playing better and focusing better,” Williams said. ”I think I performed at a decent level.”
This was Williams’s first singles match in a month as she embarks on a mission to re-emerge as the best female player in the world.
”This [US Open] is my favourite [Grand Slam tournament] because it’s the first one I ever won,” she said.
Williams, who has won this event twice before (2002 and 1999), skipped last year’s US Open after undergoing surgery to repair a damaged left knee that kept her sidelined until March.
With both Serena and her sister Venus absent due to injuries, Belgium’s Justine Henin-Hardenne captured the 2003 title.
Serena made a last-minute decision to pull out of the Athens Olympics but said her knee started feeling better the day after she decided not to get on a plane to Europe.
Asked how her knee felt during Monday’s match, she said: ”I am feeling pretty good out there.”
Serena, who lately has been spending more time talking about what she plans to wear on the court than how she plans to beat her opponents, hasn’t won a major in more than a year.
On Monday, she warmed up with a pair of knee-high black boots but decided not to discard them for a regular pair of sneakers in the match.
”It is like a rebel look. I am being really rebellious,” she said.
Federer avenged one of his few losses in 2004 by defeating Spain’s Costa in the first round.
The 23-year-old Swiss star, who has been the dominant player on the ATP Tour this year, is hoping to add his first US Open title to the Wimbledon and Australian Open crowns he captured earlier in the year.
”This was a really good match for me today,” said Federer, who fired 11 aces.
Federer advanced to the second round where he will face qualifier Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus.
Costa, the 2002 French Open champion, is one of just a handful of players to have beaten Federer this year. Federer is now an astonishing 59-6 in 2004.
This was Federer’s fifth career meeting with the Spaniard, who had won the last two.
”I started to figure out how to play him today,” Federer said. ”He knows how to beat me. I am glad I got him back.”
Federer is in the top half of the men’s draw and appears to be on a collision course for a quarterfinal showdown with eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi.
Agassi got off to a slow start on Monday, needing a tie-breaker to take the first set in the one-hour-56-minute match.
He hit just 34 winners but had fewer unforced errors (15-38) and double faults (2-3) than American Robby Ginepri.
Agassi moves on to play either Germany’s Florian Mayer or Brazilian Flavio Saretta in the second round.
Second seed Amelie Mauresmo, who is searching for her first career Grand Slam title, cruised past Marissa Irvin 6-4, 6-2 on the opening day.
Japan’s Ai Sugiyama was also an opening-day winner, beating Teryn Ashley of the United States 7-5, 6-2.
Tenth seed Vera Zvonareva, of Russia, routed Slovakia’s Henrieta Nagyova 6-1, 6-1 and Jennifer Capriati came charging back to defeat Denisa Chladkova, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.
On the men’s side, third seed Carlos Moya rallied to beat unheralded American Brian Baker 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 and Cyril Saulnier, of France, outlasted Britain’s Greg Rusedski 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (9/7).
Other seeded men’s winners included 19th seed Nicolas Kiefer, 16th seed Andrei Pavel and 25th seed Jiri Novak, of the Czech Republic. — Sapa-AFP