Brandon Holt, of the United States, reacts after defeating Taylor Fritz, of the United States, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the U.S. Open tennis tournament (all times local):
12:10 a.m.
Making their own U.S. Open memories are Tracy Austin and Hana Mandlikova's offspring.
Austin Holt's son, Brandon Holt, won his first Grand Slam main draw match by defeating No. 10 seed Taylor Fritz in four sets after making it through the qualifying round.
Holt claims he was unable to recall the advice Austin, the U.S. Open women's winner in 1979 and 1981, gave him prior to the match, but speculates that it was probably to enjoy himself.
Austin also held a victory over Fritz's mother Kathy May during a competition held in Philadelphia in 1978.
Elizabeth Mandlik, who entered the event as a wild card, defeated Tamara Zidansek 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
One of Mandlikova's four Grand Slam singles victories came in 1985 when she won the U.S. Open.
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11:30 p.m.
When Danka Kovinic first heard the cheers from the audience during her match against Serena Williams, she immediately thought of one thing.
Kovinic said to herself: “OK, if they’re going to be this loud the whole match, it's going to be tough.”
She lost to Williams 6-3, 6-3, but Kovinic thought she played better than the result indicated. She felt she handled Williams' strength well, although she admitted she had some trouble with the noise.
The 27-year-old Montenegrin admitted that she occasionally found it difficult to predict how far Williams' shots would travel because she was unable to hear the racket's sound.
Also read: Deshaun Watson will miss six games
However, she relished the chance to challenge the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, calling it “an experience that I only could think of and dream of maybe in my entire career.”
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10:50 p.m.
Serena Williams hasn't decided whether the U.S. Open will be her final tournament.
When asked if this will undoubtedly be her last competition after winning the first round on Monday night, Williams said with a knowing smile: “Yeah, I’ve been pretty vague about it, right?”
And then she added: “I’m going to stay vague, because you never know.”
Williams never formally stated that the U.S. Open would be her final tournament when she revealed three weeks ago that she was ready to retire from tennis.
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9:55 p.m.
Serena Williams affirms that no matter what she does after tennis, she will be as dedicated as ever.
Williams says her next chapter will be “like Serena 2.0.”
Despite defeating Danka Kovinic in the first round, Williams did not formally announce her retirement during the ceremony that followed. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, however, made it apparent that she is prepared for a variety of tasks by declaring “there’s other chapters in life.”
Oprah Winfrey narrated the memorial piece "Dear Serena," which was part of the ceremony that saw Billie Jean King, her husband, and daughter enter the court. It ended by saying: “Just know whatever you do next, we’ll be watching. With love, all of us."
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9:15 p.m.
At least one more singles match will be played in what may be Serena Williams' last tournament.
Williams took command and defeated Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-3 to earn her record-tying 107th U.S. Open triumph.
The No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia will be the opponent for the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion on Wednesday.
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8:30 p.m.
Serena Williams defeated Danka Kovinic in the first set, 6-3, and is halfway to winning the U.S. Open.
Williams won the first two games, lost the next three, regained control, and then won the final two games in 55 minutes.
Williams has stated that she plans to retire from tennis, but a win would put her up against Estonia's No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit in the second round.
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7:35 p.m.
Perhaps for the final time, Serena Williams is back on the court she has dominated like no other.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion is up against Montenegrin Danka Kovinic in the opening round. Williams has stated that she is getting ready to retire from tennis, which could happen after this competition, which she has won six times.
There was far more excitement than normal for the first-day match since Spike Lee came on the court for the coin toss and Queen Latifah was the narrator of a tribute video. Williams was announced as the greatest of all time and then stepped out of the locker room wearing a glittering jacket and a long skirt.
Williams then successfully defended her serve to start the game, saving two break points by blasting back-to-back aces.
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6:50 p.m.
After a half-hour, Serena Williams finished her last workout before the U.S. Open.
Fans chanted "Serenaaaa!" as she headed back toward Arthur Ashe Stadium along the courts. She extended her arm and waved her racket in appreciation.
She then drank some water, pursed her lips, and continued going into the stadium for what might have been her last singles match in a long and successful career.
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6:30 p.m.
On a practice court at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Serena Williams has begun warming up before her U.S. Open first-round match.
About 45 minutes before her match against Danka Kovinic, Williams made the short trek from Ashe to the practice area, where she was greeted by cheers from the cheering crowd that had packed the stands.
Before taking her racket, Williams came over to give hugs to Wozniacki's husband, former NBA star David Lee, and her close friend, former tennis player Caroline Wozniacki.
As coach Eric Hechtman and advisor Rennae Stubbs watched, Williams and her hitting partner started exchanging shots from the baseline.
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4:10 p.m.
The WTA Tour victory by Ukrainian Daria Snigur, her first of her career, was significant.
The 20-year-old upset the No. 7 seed Simona Halep 6-2, 0-6, 6-4 in the U.S. Open first round. She then labored through emotions to describe the significance of the triumph for her family and her nation during its conflict with Russia.
After making her final point, Snigur wrapped her hands around a pin she was wearing on her chest that was the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
Snigur claimed she may have been less anxious when she returned to the same court on Monday after taking part in the "Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition" last week in Louis Armstrong Stadium to collect money for Ukraine.
Although Halep had just climbed back into the top 10 and had won 19 of her last 22 matches, the two-time Grand Slam champion has never fared well at the U.S. Open.
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3:15 p.m.
The professional era's first Chinese guy to triumph in a U.S. Open match is Wu Yibing.
Wu defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili, the No. 31 seed, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0. He had qualified through the qualifying round, joining Zhang Zhizhen, a fellow countryman, to become the first Chinese man to enter the main draw of the U.S. Open since the start of the open era in 1968.
Wu took home the boys singles and doubles gold in the 2017 U.S. Open.
Tim van Rijthoven defeated Zhang in five sets.
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2 p.m.
One of the earliest surprises of the U.S. Open saw Andy Murray advance to the second round.
Murray defeated Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo, the No. 24 seed, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3. Flushing Meadows was the site of Murray's first of three Grand Slam victories ten years ago.
16th seed Another seeded loss, Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, was defeated by American J.J. Wolf in straight sets.
On the women's side, early victors included No. 17 Caroline Garcia and third-seeded Maria Sakkari.
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12:20 p.m.
Outside the U.S. Open entry, a tiny group of protesters shouting "Novak! Novak!" demanded an end to the vaccination requirement for travel, which prevented Novak Djokovic from taking part in the competition this year.
Serbian-born Djokovic was unable to enter the United States because he has not received his COVID-19 vaccination. He was permitted to participate in the first two U.S. Opens that took place during the pandemic, but the new vaccine restriction went into effect on November 8 of last year.
Signs reading "End The Travel Mandate Now!" were held by activists from Families are Essential, Children's Health Defense, and Teachers for Choice.
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11:15 a.m.
Serena Williams being on the schedule at night has generated a lot more buzz than normal for Day 1 of the U.S. Open.
The final Grand Slam of the year has begun, and reigning champion Daniil Medvedev will take the court early on Monday.
At noon, Medvedev takes on American Stefan Kozlov in the main match at Arthur Ashe Stadium after winning his first Grand Slam championship at Flushing Meadows last year.
In one of the matches that has already started, Andy Murray, a former U.S. Open winner, is up against Argentinean Francisco Cerundolo, the No. 24 seed.
For the start of what might be her farewell tournament, Williams will start the night session in Ashe. Faced with Danka Kovinic is the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion.
Along with former U.S. Open champions Stan Wawrinka and Bianca Andreescu, Dominic Thiem, the 2020 champion who was absent from the event last year, is also scheduled to compete.
