Venus Williams loses in 3 sets at the US Open in her 1st Grand Slam match in 2 years
FLUSHING MEADOWS, Queens (WABC) -- Venus Williams' incredible return to the U.S. Open, her first Grand Slam match in two years, ended in the first round of the tournament Monday night.
At 45 years old, Williams is now the oldest singles player in the Open since 1981, making her 25th appearance in the tournament.
It was a huge accomplishment in its own right -- but it wasn't enough to beat 11th-ranked Karolina Muchova, who took down Williams in three sets, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.
But while much of the fanfare Monday was around Williams' return, the U.S. Open is still the best two weeks of the year for tennis fans.
People from around the world travel to New York City for the final Grand Slam Tennis tournament of the season, which got underway in Queens on Sunday.
The impact of the event goes far beyond sports.
It's a major economic driver for New York, generating an estimated $1.2 billion for the city.
That's more than the Yankees and the Mets combined.
The U.S. Open is a place to see and to be seen.
The crowds are growing for what is expected to be yet another record year and many are here for the first time.
Carolyn Ramey and her former tennis teammates met up in New York City to watch the U.S. Open together.
"Well, we are good friends from Birmingham, Alabama. We met 20 years ago playing tennis together. So we're here to enjoy the U.S. Open together," Ramey said.
"Kind of a bucket list thing we wanted to do and went, well, if we don't do it now, what are we going to do it? Right. So here we are." Ramey's friend said.
"I mean, the energy is just amazing. Like everybody's just excited to be here, like we are," a spectator said.
For the first time, the tournament opened on a Sunday, with Novak Djokovic winning his first-round match.
He hasn't won a grand slam since he won the Open in 2023. But the 2021 Open champion, Daniil Medvedev, lost his first-round match in five sets that ended in a meltdown on center court.
Starting the tournament a day earlier means more tennis and more opportunities to see more of the players, close-up.
"It's just makes it one day longer and creates more opportunities for fans to come on site and experience it and you know to sample a signature the honey deuce which is back again and always a fan favorite and again the culinary delights that we have on the grounds it's just provides more opportunities for fans to take in," Kankam said.
The U.S. Open sets itself apart from other tournaments.
"Getting to see like, I think the athletes up close, like the younger ones, like the up-and-coming stars. Like there's not many sports events where you can just walk up and just see all the players right there and their team it's just really cool," a spectator said.
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