NEW YORK — Serena Williams kept picking at that pesky pink bow, then pulled it completely off the front of her black dress.

On a night when so much had gone right, she wasn't about to let any wardrobe malfunction stop her Monday at the U.S. Open.

With Janet Jackson in the stands for a tribute to Althea Gibson, the Williams sisters honored the trailblazer in their own way — with wins.

"My outfit was dark, and I definitely played a dark match," Serena said.

Aretha Franklin got the evening off to a rollicking start, belting out "Respect." Then Venus Williams beat Kira Nagy of Hungary 6-2, 6-1 — highlighted by a Grand Slam-record 129 mph serve — and Serena finished off a full opening day with a forehand smash to down German teenager Angelique Kerber 6-3, 7-5.

"I know every time I step out on the court I play for me and I play for all the other African-American kids out there who have a dream and might not have the means," Serena said.

Roger Federer and Justine Henin played up to their No. 1 rankings with straight-set victories, and American prospects Donald Young and John Isner played up to their potential.

There were few upsets. Among the seeded players who lost were No. 17 Tatiana Golovin on the women's side and crowd favorite No. 18 Marcos Baghdatis in the men's draw.

Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick were scheduled to play their first-round matches tonight.

Back in 1957, Gibson became the first black player to win the championship at the U.S National Championship, which became the U.S. Open.

While the main show court on the grounds is revered as Arthur Ashe Stadium, not everyone is aware of Gibson's legacy. Federer candidly admitted he did not know anything about her.

"Nothing, to be honest," the three-time Swiss champion said. "It's before my time. Isn't much I can really say about it."