By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer

NEW YORK — There was a Williams sister out there in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night, much to the delight of spectators who offered a standing ovation at the end of the match. Except this time it was Venus, not Serena, and there was no ceremony, no formal farewell – and, unlike a year ago, no indication of what the future might hold.

Her younger sister’s playing days are done after one last hurrah at Flushing Meadows in 2022, but Venus Williams is still competing, still striving, even if her age, 43, and a bum knee did her no favors on this muggy evening. Williams was eliminated by Belgian qualifier Greet Minnen, 6-1, 6-1, in the first round of the U.S. Open, her most lopsided loss in 100 career matches at the Grand Slam tournament where she won the trophy in 2000 and 2001.

The crowd, which seemed thrilled just to get a chance to see Williams play in person, sent her toward the locker room with applause and yells. She gave a quick wave and a smile as she walked off, her red racket bag slung over her left shoulder.

“It was really great to hear the support. I know the fans have been here for me forever, so that’s fantastic to still have that support even more than ever,” said Williams, the oldest player in the field. “So it’s a beautiful thing, and I love the Open.”

The first 21 times Williams entered the event, she went 21-0 in the first round. But this was her third consecutive opening-round loss since.

Afterward in Ashe, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the second round when his opponent, Dominik Koepfer, stopped playing while trailing 6-2, 3-2. Koepfer turned his ankle on the match’s eighth point and, while he initially continued after getting treated, eventually conceded.

The 26-year-old Minnen – who threw an uppercut and raised her arms after winning – was born in August 1997, the month before Williams reached the U.S. Open final for the first time.

“For me, it was incredible to play a legend like her. I have huge respect,” said Minnen, who is ranked 97th and entered the evening with a 4-12 career record in Grand Slam matches. “To be there at 43 years old, it’s amazing really.”

Williams owns seven major championships, including five at Wimbledon. But she has lost in the first or second round in each of her past 12 Slam appearances, including bowing out at the All England Club in July after taking a tumble in her opening match.

Various injuries have limited her to 10 matches this season – she is 3-7 – after just four in all of 2022. The latest problem is with a knee that forced her to withdraw from a tune-up tournament in Cleveland a little more than a week ago and left her unsure of whether she would be able to play in New York.

But there she was.

“I have to really thank my doctors for helping me to get here. That in itself was a blessing,” Williams said. “I love playing here. I really gave it my all today. I really played some great shots, but she had some incredible answers to that. I wish I could have been more prepared for that.”

The temperature was in the low 70s, but the humidity was 90%, and Williams was not able to stay in the points with Minnen.

It was quickly 3-0, with Williams – the owner of what used to be one of the most intimidating serves in the game – broken twice right away. She lost each of her first half-dozen second-serve points.

Minnen did what she could to keep Williams off-balance, particularly with drop shots, and it worked.

“Already when I was 5, 6 years old, she was on TV almost every Slam. She was going so far in every tournament,” said Minnen, who acknowledged feeling jittery before the match because of the opponent and the size of the largest Grand Slam stadium. “She’s always been an amazing player and she still is now. I knew I had to bring my ‘A’ game to beat her. Even though she’s a bit older, she keeps hitting the ball very good.”

For more than two decades, Venus and Serena traveled the world together, swapping the No. 1 ranking and the biggest trophies in their sport the way other siblings might share clothes or hobbies.

Now that Serena, who recently had her second baby, is done playing on tour, there are inevitable questions about how much longer Venus will compete. She has grown used to those queries and grown adept at deflecting them and did so again Tuesday, unwilling to say for sure whether she will play again this season, let alone beyond.

Was it hard to be at Flushing Meadows without her sister?

“I mean, I was very much aware that Serena wouldn’t be playing the tournament, so I think I was OK. I’ve had a chance to get used to that idea even before she retired,” the elder Williams said. “I kind of knew that was coming.”

NEW REVIEW SYSTEM FALTERS

Upon further review, the U.S. Open’s new video replay system needs a little work.

The new setup allowing players to challenge certain calls, such as double bounces, was used for the first time Tuesday when Corentin Moutet hoped to get a crucial call overturned in his match against Andy Murray.

Unfortunately for the French player, the chair umpire’s tablet malfunctioned, preventing her from watching video footage and forcing the original call of a point for Murray to stand.

“It obviously didn’t go to plan in a pretty important moment of the match,” Murray said.

The video review introduced this year by the U.S. Open on five of its courts is a first in Grand Slam tennis. Players get three challenges per set for things such as double bounces, a ball touching a player’s body, a player touching the net or a player being hindered by noise. They’ll hold onto a challenge if they’re correct and receive an additional one in tiebreakers.

Murray had won the first two sets and was serving with a 5-3 lead in the third when Moutet lunged along the sideline in hopes of returning a shot. The call was that he hadn’t hit the ball before it bounced a second time, and Moutet quickly threw up his arms to initiate the challenge.

Chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell put on headphones to watch a replay of the point, but the tablet brought to her malfunctioned.

“Per protocol, a video review and any call based off a review must be made by the chair umpire via the video delivered to their tablet on court,” a U.S. Tennis Association spokesman said in an email. “If the video is not available on the chair umpire’s tablet, the original call on the court – in this case, the ‘not up’ – stands.

The spokesman added that the tablet on the Grandstand was repaired after the match.

Had Moutet won the point, he would have had a break point. Instead, Murray closed it out moments later for a 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 victory.

Murray said the TV replay that was available clearly showed that the ball bounced twice, so the initial call was correct. The 2012 U.S. Open champion added that he didn’t understand how the new technology worked, but hoped it would be right for future matches.

“So, yeah,” Murray said, “it would be good if they could get that fixed.”

JOHN McENROE SAYS POSITIVE COVID TEST KEEPING HIM OFF TV

John McEnroe has COVID-19 and is missing time as ESPN’s lead tennis analyst for its U.S. Open television coverage.

“Unfortunately, after feeling a bit under the weather, I tested positive for COVID,” McEnroe said in a statement released by the network on Tuesday, the second day of the Grand Slam tournament. “I’m watching the U.S. Open from home and can’t wait to get back to work soon.”

ESPN said it wishes McEnroe well and looks forward “to welcoming him back when he’s ready.”

McEnroe won four of his seven Grand Slam singles titles at the U.S. Open.

The year’s last major tournament began Monday and ends on Sept. 10 with the men’s singles final.

AP Sports Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this story.

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