Serena Williams spent about an hour on a practice court in the late afternoon on Monday in preparation for her first-round match of the United States Open. She worked on groundstrokes, serves and overhead smashes and tried a few volleys and even a handful of drop shots.
But when it came time to apply those skills, Williams did not need most of them. She spent far less time on court — about 30 minutes — and exerted far less energy in overwhelming Vitalia Diatchenko of Russia, who retired in the second set with an ankle injury after Williams had won the match’s first eight games.