By Richard Kent, Staff Reporter

FLUSHING, NY — Make no mistake about it. This year’s US Open is primarily about Serena Williams. The 6-time winner announced about a month ago that she will “evolve away” from tennis after the Open, which begins on Monday.

The 40-year-old Williams is unseeded and has drawn another unseeded player, Danka Kovinic, who’s ranked 80th in the world. The two have never met before as singles. The Montenegro native is primarily a double specialist.

It is a favorable first round draw for the popular Williams who has won 23 Grand Slam events in her illustrious career. If she gets by her opponent in the 7 pm Monday night match, she would most likely have to play No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit from Estonia on Wednesday.

Williams has been the overwhelming fan favorite throughout Fan Week.

The price of tickets for the Williams match has skyrocketed on the secondary markets, ever since it was announced yesterday that Williams would be in the opening night Monday slot. They range from $271 to $4,500 and could go even higher.