NEW YORK—Arthur Ashe Stadium was relatively subdued on Wednesday night as home favorite Venus Williams jumped out to a 5-2 lead against Océane Dodin and earned a quick set point.
Early on, it appeared that this would be another ho-hum, routine, early-round victory for the two-time champion.
The crowd perked up, however, after the 20-year-old saved it and proceeded to take the next three games to level the set. At that point, the fans took their eyes off their phones and the focus returned to the attraction in front of them.
In danger of letting the lead slip away, Venus bore down and quickly took the 11th game, helped by some booming serves that the Frenchwoman had no answer for.