Day or night, it’s hard to beat the odds when Serena Williams enters the court. The American, still looking for a 24th major title at 39, started her tournament by dominating the Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu (7-6, 6-2).
The 74th player in the world, who has never done better than a round of 16 in 2016, initially annoyed Serena and served for the set before cracking in the tie-break (6-8). The triple champion Porte d’Auteuil (2002, 2013, 2015) had yet broken from the second service game of her opponent and raised fears of a slap. Only, she then fished and gave a lot of points. Once the tie-break was removed, she managed to keep the lead on important points but without really convincing.
Weighted down by many unforced errors on Monday night, Serena Williams still has many areas for improvement. As a reminder, she has not done better than a round of 16 in Paris since her final lost in 2016. In addition, her season on clay has so far boiled down to a single victory in two tournaments.
A first “night session” without an audience
This hooked encounter (1h42) undoubtedly pleased Amazon viewers, exclusive broadcasters of this match as part of the very first night session in the history of the tournament. But the absence of an audience is all the same damn stain.
Ten matches are scheduled for the evening this year at Roland Garros, from Monday to Wednesday, June 9 inclusive. We will have to wait until June 9 and the last “night session” for 5,000 people to have the right to fill the Philippe-Chatrier stadium.
In the meantime, Novak Djokovic, the next star scheduled for Tuesday, will have to adapt to this strange atmosphere. And he has already made it known that the total absence of the public did not delight him. “The only thing that saddens me a bit is that there will be no spectators. I didn’t know and found out on Sunday that the curfew was set for 9pm, which is the time my game is supposed to start. Playing in a Grand Slam in an empty stadium will not be fun, ”he has already decided.
