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Serena Williams won her first match on Monday night

By: www.npr.org

Serena Williams

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Williams defeated Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-3 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York City - the site of Williams' first US Open victory in 1999, when she was 17 years old.

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Earlier this month, Williams, now 40, announced her plans to retire from tennis, after a decade-long career in which she dominated and transformed the women's game, including 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

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Serena Williams says she intends to retire from tennis after US Open

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Williams has won six U.S. Open singles championships, the last in 2014. On paper, she is the overwhelming favorite on Monday night, with a 20-0 record in U.S. Open first-round matches — without dropping a set since 2001, according to the U.S. Open.

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Serena Williams won her first match

Williams has only played four matches this year, and only won one, sports commentator Howard Bryant of Meadowlark Media told Weekend Edition.

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But Williams is currently ranked 605th for singles, returning to play only recently after battling injuries. Her opponent, 27-year-old Kovinic of Montenegro, is ranked 80th.