It was all workmanlike, right down to Serena's new Nike dress that was classic and flattering in every way that her sister's dress from last night was not. Serena was free and easy. She ran when she had to but kept points short by overpowering Jovanovski with her serve and ground strokes. There were no outbursts, no memorable point, no funny quotes, just a clean one-hour match played by a woman who wanted to use this match to get down to business and leave all the questions about 2009 behind.
Because after Tuesday night, the conversation will change from that ugly incident and will now focus on the dominating performance Serena threw down in the first round and what it means for the remaining 63 women in the field. (Hint: It's not good for them.)
Serena, meanwhile, got her wish. She was off the court in 56 minutes.
Serena Williams didn't look pleased to be taking the court so late at night for her first-round match at the U.S. Open. So she made sure she didn't have to stay on it long.
In her first match at the tournament since her infamous tirade in 2009, Serena routed Bojana Jovanovski in a quick 6-1, 6-1 match, solidifying her status as the runaway favorite at the final major of the 2011 season.