NEW YORK: Venus Williams battled bravely before bowing out of the US Open on her return to Grand Slam tennis on Monday as Spanish ace Carlos Alcaraz stormed into the second round with a dominant opening win. The second full day of action in New York saw all eyes turn to the Arthur Ashe Stadium’s night session, where the 45-year-old Williams lost in three sets to 11th seed Karolina Muchova. Williams only returned to competitive tennis in July following a 16-month absence from the sport and had been granted a wild card into the main draw at Flushing Meadows.

The seven-times major champion is making her 25th appearance in a US Open, facing Karolína Muchová in the same Arthur Ashe Stadium she helped christen in 1997

The best matches of day 2 include Williams' return to the singles at 45, Alcaraz's tricky opener and Victoria Mboko's debut as a seed.