Serena Williams gave the impression that she is not yet ready to retire with her spirited 6-3 6-3 victory over Danka Kovinic on Monday at the U.S. Open. Williams' confidence will soar after her second win of the year over Kovinic, who is ranked 80th, but the road to a record-tying 24th Grand Slam is suddenly difficult to navigate. Anett Kontaveit, the second seed from Estonia, is standing by after easily defeating Jaqueline Cristian 6-3, 6-0.

The 40-year-old American's performance was far from her best, but the crowded Arthur Ashe Stadium didn't care since Williams' battling spirit persisted even though her serve and groundstrokes did not. The odds always seemed to be stacked against the 27-year-old Montenegrin, even when Williams was far from at her best.

Williams, who is competing in her 21st U.S. Open, had never suffered a first-round defeat, and her triumph over Kovinic was her 106th at Flushing Meadows. Kovinic had not won a match since Roland Garros, despite having the finest Grand Slam season of her career and making it to the third round of both the Australian and French Opens.

However, as the match got underway, Williams began to exhibit signs of anxiety, increasing the number of double bogeys as Kovinic took a 3-2 lead. Williams improved when she needed to, winning the following four games to take the opening set with the support of the crowd as usual.

Williams, who was in control by this time, would not let the lead slide away in the second set. She broke to go up 3-2, and when it was match point and the audience was standing, she danced joyfully as Kovinic's return struck the net.

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