The clash between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova in the first round of the US Open 2019 is one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament. Unfortunately for fans of the Russian, she barely put up a fight and bowed out in straight sets, 6-1,6-1.

Serena now dominates her head-to-head against Sharapova with 20 wins and 2 losses. Both of Sharapova's wins against Serena came all the way back in 2004. With Monday night's win, Serena now holds an 18-match winning streak against Sharapova.

This match is usually reserved for much later in the tournament. In fact, most of the matches between these two players came in the Round of 16 or later. However, this blockbuster first round match came about because of Sharapova's ranking. The Russian has dropped all the way down to 87th in the world after struggling to regain her form after coming out of a 15--month doping suspension. She has since been bothered by a recurring shoulder injury.

Serena meanwhile, has recently been hampered by a back injury. However, that didn't seem to bother her on Monday. She eased into victory and dropped only one game per set. She might have walked all over Sharapova, but she knows that there is a very long way to go.

Serena is a woman on a mission on the court this year. Eager to redeem herself after a controversial end to the tournament last year, Serena is off to a good start. Not only does she have an eye on the trophy that she lost in last year's final, she is also looking forward to redeeming her reputation. It may be remembered that Serena lost to Naomi Osaka in the final in 2018.

Sadly, the match was marred with controversy after she got penalized after a heated argument with the umpire. She kept ranting throughout the match, causing te attention to be drawn away from Osaka. Things got worse when her supporters started to boo her opponent, even during the awarding ceremony. She has since apologised to Osaka.

The US Open 2019 will run from August 26 until September 8, 2019.

Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian
Serena Williams, bottom left, along with her husband Alexis Ohanian and their daughter Alexis Olympia, center. Richard Shiro/Getty Images
Serena Williams