A special night Serena Williams and tennis fans will never forget as farewell continues - US Open Diary

An opening night like no other Monday night did not end up being Serena Williams’ farewell but it will still be an occasion she will never forget. Ad A rocking Arthur Ashe Stadium was ready to throw a glitzy party for the American icon and Serena turned up for it dressed to the nines; literally sparkling from head to toe with diamonds in her hair, dress and shoes. Not to mention the long shiny train she had attached to her dress for her walk-on.

US Open'You never know' — Serena hints at retirement U-turn after New York crowd reaction2 HOURS AGO Her daughter Olympia wore a matching outfit, and had white beads in her hair, just like Serena did the first time she won the US Open in 1999. “It was either her wear beads or me, so… I wanted to do it, but I just didn't have the time,” joked Serena later in her press conference. US Open ticket prices rocketed the second she announced she was stepping away from the sport and the grounds were swarmed by her fans dressed in everything Serena-related and holding signs with messages of support to the retiring queen.

The crowd set a US Open opening night record as 29,402 people flocked to the Billie Jean King Tennis Center on Monday. As the Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York performed a haunting rendition of ‘One moment in time’ in the build-up to the match, one could tell we were in for a special night. A Serena montage narrated by Queen Latifah was shown on the big screens before the 23-time Grand Slam champion was introduced onto the court as the “greatest of all time”.