Serena Williams began her final US Open campaign on Monday, just weeks after announcing her retirement from tennis. On the first day of the US Open in Flushing Meadows, the tennis legend faced Montenegrin Danka Kovinic in the women’s singles first round.

Attendance at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, increased massively because of Serena Williams’ draw. The US Open broke several attendance records on the first day of this year’s competition.

US Open broke several attendance records because of Serena Williams’ draw

When Serena Williams returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium for the first round of the US Open, a record-breaking 29,402 spectators came to Flushing Meadows just for the night session. This is the largest crowd ever recorded at Arthur Ashe Stadium for an evening session.

This figure, along with the Opening Day Session attendance record of 41,930 spectators, resulted in the second-highest single-day attendance mark in US Open history: 71,332 spectators.

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Williams defeats Danka Kovinic in the first round of the US Open

Serena Williams defeated Danka Kovinic of Montenegro 6-3 6-3 in the first round of the US Open. In the post match interview, she discussed how much the support from the crowd meant to her. She said, “The crowd was crazy. It really helped pull me through. I was really pumped. I was like, ‘Yes, I got this.‘”

Meanwhile, Olympia, her daughter, was snapping photos in Williams’ player guest box at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Her father, Alexis Ohanian, and her grandmother, Oracene Price, were also present in the stadium.

Serena will face Anett Kontaveit in the second round of the US Open. Kontaveit defeated Jaqueline Cristian in straight sets in her first round match. In addition to her exploits in singles, she will also play with her sister, Venus Williams, in the women’s doubles category.

Watch this story: Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian makes artistic pancakes for daughter Olympia