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Serena wins!
… the coin toss. She will be served first. Serena is finally on court. We believe there is also Danka Kovinić. Oh, there you go. The biggest coin toss in tennis history is happening now. Or at least the only one with Spike Lee present. “Is this the biggest first round match we’ve ever seen on this field?” asks Chris Hawkman on Twitter? It is certainly the only previous Ukrainian choir singing in two languages to honor Arthur Ashe. I’d be more upset that we haven’t seen Serena on court yet, but this is an exciting performance. The crowd, instead of murmuring and waiting for the star of the night, provides a nice roar before they finish. In typical American sports fashion, the game doesn’t actually start at 7 p.m. ET, because we need to hype things up a bit more. The fans are still in it too – Arthur Ashe Stadium is only half full. Serena’s matches often don’t last long, so tell people to get their ice cream later. Speaking of ice cream, it’s 81 degrees Fahrenheit with 68% humidity. But Serena, ever the fashion icon, will be wearing a long-sleeved black dress. For shoes, we make a first report on Footwear News. She won’t be wearing diamonds on the soles of her shoes, which would have suited New Yorker Paul Simon’s song, but will wear them elsewhere on her feet. We are now taking player referrals. Will this start before dark? These sparkly shoes are what Serena Williams wore in practice. Photo: Elsa/Getty Images
Who is the opponent?
Danka Kovinić is originally from Montenegro. He is 27 years old. She is ranked 80th in the world, down from a career high of 46th…six years ago. He has no career singles titles. But this is her best year at the majors, reaching the third round in Australia and Roland Garros. The strangest thing – despite her many years as a pro, she has never faced Serena Williams. Is this the first time photographers have flocked to a Danka Kovinić training session? Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images
The space
This court could not be more suitable for a trailblazer like Serena. It’s Arthur Ashe Court, named after a barrier-breaking black tennis player, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, named after the woman who catapulted women’s tennis to new heights. Serena has won this event six times. He has 23 major titles. That’s one short of the record held by Margaret Court, but any thought that Court is ahead of Serena in the GOAT (Greatest of all Tennis, er, Time) conversation can’t be taken lightly. Serena (we’ll use the first name in part because, like Madonna or Cher, she’s better known by that name and also because her sister, Venus Williams, is also in the stratosphere of the sport’s all-time greats) has been through a two decades just drives people off the field. And yet… that championship has eluded her since she won her third straight in 2014. She lost in 2018 against then-unknown Naomi Osaka. She lost the following year to Bianca Andreescu. But great players have a way of putting together another great streak. Will this be it? Good evening to everyone in the US, good morning to those on the other side of the planet, and good morning to those in between. Thanks for checking in on the All-USA matchup between No. 10 Taylor Fritz and Brandon Holt. Fritz should have the advantage, of course, but… so what? Correctly. Too bad for Fritz, Holt and fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas, who will all be playing US Open showcase courts in a few minutes, but might as well be playing in Guam. This is Serena Williams’ show, and with good reason. Every match here could be the last time we see a unique player on its biggest stage. Bo will be here shortly, with the match starting around 19:30 local time (9:30am AEST/12:30am BST). In the meantime, here’s a little pre-match reading:
