Serena Sizzles; Thiem, Tsitsipas, Halep stunned

NEW YORK, Aug 30: Serena Williams beat Montenegro's Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-3 in front of a vociferous crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium to move into the second round of the US Open where she will face second seed Anett Kontaveit.

The victory over the 80th ranked Kovinic, just her second this year, will be a confidence boost for Williams but the path to a record equalling 24th Grand Slam now gets treacherous.

Waiting in the wings is Estonian second seed Anett Kontaveit, who breezed past Jaqueline Cristian 6-3, 6-0.

It was far from a vintage performance from the 40-year-old American but it mattered not to a jam-packed Arthur Ashe Stadium as Williams's fighting spirit remained razor sharp even if her serve and ground strokes were not.

Even with Williams far from her best the odds always appeared stacked against the 27-year-old from Montenegro.

Playing in her 21st US Open, Williams has never lost in the first round and her victory over Kovinic was her 106th at Flushing Meadows.

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