So perhaps it wasn’t surprising that Williams started slowly. But with her fiance, Andrea Preti, leaping out of his seat after many points, Williams got back into the match, smacking vintage serves at up to 114 mph and finishing with just one fewer winner than Muchova.

The elder Williams was off the tennis tour for 16 months until making a comeback at a tournament in Washington last month, where she won one match each in singles and doubles. She hadn’t competed anywhere since the Miami Open in March 2024, and had surgery for uterine fibroids later last year.

The 45-year-old brought her big serve and powerful groundstrokes to the fore before falling to 11th seed Karolina Muchova.

The U.S. Open men's and women's singles competitions kicked off Sunday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, marking the start of the final Grand Slam of the year as Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka look to defend their titles.

The US Open broke records in 2024 by offering the largest purse in tennis history. The final Grand Slam tournament of 2025 is upping the ante this year. The 2025 US Open will be the first tennis event to reach $90 million in total player compensation,

Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev brought Bravo-level drama to the 2025 US Open on Sunday4. Play was suspended during Medvedev's match against French opponent Benjamin Bonzi at the New York City tournament on Sunday after a photographer walked onto the court at match point in the third set.

Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev created a chaotic situation in a U.S. Open match against France's Benjamin Bonzi on Sunday night in New York.