Serena Williams thrashes Maria Sharapova to reach US Open second round

American tennis star Serena Williams kicked off her campaign at the US Open on a promising note as she crushed Romania's Maria Sharapova in straight sets in the highly-anticipated opening round at Flushing Meadows on Tuesday. 

The 23-time Grand Slam champion was nearly untouchable during her comfortable 6-1, 6-1 triumph over her longtime rival Sharapova in a one-sided first-round clash that lasted 59 minutes. 

While Williams scored 16 winners to 12 unforced errors, Sharapova smashed just six winners to 20 unforced errors throughout the match. 

Following her dominant performance, Williams was quite satisfied with her performance and revealed that she just wanted to stay focused throughout the clash.  

“I think I was able to zone in, especially down breakpoints, not letting her in the match because she's the kind of player that keeps going. Even towards the end, she just wants to keep fighting. One point here or there, she could have won at least another game," the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) quoted Williams as saying. 

“I wanted to make sure I stayed focused," the former world number one added. 

The victory also saw Williams improve her head-to-head rivalry against Sharapova to 20-2. The American star has now set up a clash against fellow countrywoman Caty McNally for a place in the third round of the tournament. 

Earlier in August, Williams--who was playing her first WTA-level final since her win over compatriot Madison Keys at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in 2016-- retired hurt citing an upper back injury during the summit showdown of the Rogers Cup against 19-year-old Bianca Andreescu of Canada.