After having the honor of introducing her good friend Beyonce at the VMA’s on Sunday (Aug. 28), Serena turned her attention back to tennis for the U.S. Open. Williams is coming off a disappointing performance at this year’s Olympics, in addition to dealing with a tender shoulder. The 22-time Grand Slam champ persevered to dominate Ekaterina Marakova (6-3, 6-3) in straight sets. Williams disposed of her opponent in just over an hour of match time (63 minutes) with flawless tennis, to move on to the second round of the U.S. Open, yesterday (Aug. 30).
Off to a sparkling start: Behind 12 aces, #Serena defeats #Makarova, 6-3, 6-3 to start her #usopen campaign. https://t.co/qI9T2IjpxQ
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 31, 2016
The 35-year-old is on the quest for her 23rd Grand Slam title, which would break her tie with German phenom, Steffi Graf for most titles in the Open Era. Yesterday’s victory was also the 305th of her historic career, one shy of Martina Navratilova’s Open Era record.
“I got off to a fast start because I knew she was a really tough opponent,” Williams said after the match. “I definitely think it’s fair to call it a home court.”
Make sure to tune in to ESPN as Williams looks to make history in the coming days.
#GoSerena