Serena on the court vs No. 2 Kontaveit | US Open updates

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NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on U.S. Open tennis tournament (all times local):

Serena Williams is on the court, with one of the world’s top players standing on the other side of the net.

Williams is facing No. 2 Anett Kontaveit, who has won six career titles but never been past the fourth round of the U.S. Open.

Williams has won it six times, part of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

This could be her last major — or any — event, as she said recently she was preparing for the end of her tennis career.

Serena Williams went through about a half-hour warmup session before her second-round match.

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Williams used the same practice court Wednesday night that she did Monday before that victory.

This time, she crossed paths with her sister, Venus, who was using that court for doubles work ahead of their first-round match in that event, which is scheduled for Thursday night.

As Serena left after her hitting session, crowds cheered, and she paused to wave in their direction with her right hand as she checked her cell phone in her left.

John Isner has withdrawn from the U.S. Open with a wrist injury, sending No. 28 seed Holger Rune into the third round with a walkover.

The 37-year-old Isner won his first-round match in straight sets Tuesday. The U.S. Tennis Association announced his withdrawal Wednesday night.

Rune took a set from Novak Djokovic last year in his U.S. Open debut. He will face No. 7 seed Cam Norrie or Joao Sousa in the third round.

Serena and Venus Williams will play their first doubles match together since 2018 under the lights in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday night.

Their U.S. Open first-round contest against the Czech duo of Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova was scheduled to start at about 7 p.m., leading off the night session. That’s unusual because typically there are two singles matches held in the evenings at Ashe.

The Williams sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles as a team, including two at Flushing Meadows. Their last competition together was at the French Open four years ago.

Coming off her trip to the Wimbledon finals, Ons Jabeur is hoping to finally make a run at the U.S. Open.

The No. 5 seed from Tunisia beat American Elizabeth Mandlik 7-5, 6-2 to reach the third round, where she has lost in each of the last three years.

It was Jabeur’s 40th win of the season. Only top-ranked Iga Swiatek has more.

She also played with Serena Williams in a doubles tournament before Wimbledon, where they reached the semifinals before having to withdraw because Jabeur had a knee injury.

Mandlik is the daughter of Hana Mandlikova, the 1985 U.S. Open champion.

Singles and doubles play got Day 3 of the U.S. Open off to a busy start, though it was still eight hours before the match that was the center of attention.

Serena Williams is playing in the first night match on Arthur Ashe Stadium, just as she was on the opening day of the tournament. She plays No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia.

Williams began what could be the final tournament of her career by beating Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-3 on Monday night.

Top-ranked Daniil Medvedev, the defending men’s champion, follows Williams against Arthur Rinderknech of France.

Early starters Wednesday included third-seeded Maria Sakkari, a semifinalist in Flushing Meadows last year, and No. 5 seed Ons Jabeur, the Wimbledon runner-up. Opening-round matches in men’s and women’s doubles were also on the court.

Past champion Andy Murray, 18-year-old Coco Gauff and Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios were also scheduled for day singles action.

Also playing at night is Bianca Andreescu, who is already the most recent women’s champion still left in the field. The 2019 winner, who beat Williams in the final, faces No. 15 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.

Defending champion Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka, the 2018 and 2020 winner, both lost Tuesday night.

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