Serena Williams eased into her US Open as she once again aims to win her 24th grand slam title, defeating Magda Linette 6-4, 6-0 on Monday night in a match that she comfortably controlled.
Williams, 36, converted her first break point midway through the first set, then won the final seven games to put an exclamation point on her victory. The American had 22 winners to just nine for her Polish opponent, who did not look overwhelmed on Arthur Ashe Stadium but simply did not have enough firepower to compete.
With top seed Simona Halep shockingly out of the tournament on the first day, Williams becomes the oddsmakers favorite to win her first major title since returning to the tour after childbirth nearly one year ago. The No. 17 seed looked the part, winning 74 percent of points on her serve and facing no break points.
“The first set was tight. It was my first match back here in New York. That wasn’t the easiest,” Williams said on-court. “Once I got settled I started doing what I’m trying to do in practice. I started feeling a little bit better.”
She made just one first serve in her opening game but survived it, the greatest challenge she faced all evening. The six-time US Open champion then worked her way into Linette’s service games, dominating second serve rallies until clawing out break points at 3-3. She converted her first when Linette knocked a backhand wide, and later closed out the set with a strong second serve on her first set point.
That only set the stage for the far more dominant second set. She rolled to a love break in the opening game, punctuated by powerful returns at 0-40 that ended with an errant, off-balance Linette forehand. She slammed an ace to consolidate the break after being pushed to deuce, then ran off two more breaks to dispatch the Pole in just an hour and 11 minutes.
She finished the contest in style, unleashing a superb drop shot to reach match point and slamming an ace — her sixth, to no double faults — to secure the win.
It moved her record in grand slam first rounds to a remarkable 68-1, including a perfect 18-0 mark at the US Open. She faces a similarly straightforward test against Carina Witthoeft in the second round on Wednesday, a possible presage to yet another clash with sister Venus Williams in the third round.
After uneven performances on the American hard courts entering New York — she won just one match across two tournaments — the Wimbledon runner-up said she was inching closer to her top form.
“I think I’m getting there. I’ve been feeling really good in practice,” she told the crowd. “Most of all, I’m here, playing in front of you guys.”
