During Monday night’s first round of the U.S. Open, Alec Baldwin referred to Serena Williams’ opponent, 86th-ranked Russian Vitalia Diatchenko, as a “crunchy hors d’oeuvre Serena is chewing on.” And that wasn’t the only odd thing about the night.
Josh Groban opened the ceremony with a song boring enough to put the crowd to sleep, but that didn’t stop Willams from devouring her “crunchy hors d’oeuvre.” Diatchenko actually quit the match two games into the second set, granting Williams her first win, even though it was a bizarre thing to do.
“It was definitely different and bizarre,” Williams said afterward. “But at the same time, I was still focused. I kept thinking, you know, ‘Just stay focused; don’t lose it.’’’
The match was probably the easiest 30 minutes of Williams’ career, with her scoring 6-0 and 2-0 before Diatchenko bowed out.
Serena Williams wasn’t the only one to advance. Her sister Venus Williams won her round with a three-set victory and is moving on to round 2 as well.
But all eyes are on Serena Williams as her grand-slam pursuit continues.