Venus Williams’ rough patch in singles tennis has deepened after a first-round exit at the US Open, where she fell to fellow American Sofia Kenin.
The 46-year-old former world No. 1 lost 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) to Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, stretching her singles losing streak to 15 straight matches.
The match itself became a footnote in US Open history for its timing. It started at 12:13 a.m. local time in New York, delayed by Mariano Navone’s five-set win over Novak Djokovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium, making it the latest-starting match in the tournament’s history. By the time it ended around 2 a.m., only about 1,000 fans remained in the stadium.
Williams never settled into the first set, which Kenin took 6-2. She rallied in the second, forcing a tiebreak and surging to a 6-2 lead — within two points of forcing a decider. But she failed to convert any of her seven set points, and Kenin reeled off six straight to close out the match.
Williams later pushed back on the scheduling. “It’s not ideal. I would have preferred something else, definitely,” she said, adding that a 1 or 2 a.m. start made it difficult for either player to find rhythm.
The loss extends a brutal stretch for Williams, who has now dropped 19 of her last 20 singles matches. Her lone win in that span came against Peyton Stearns in Washington in July 2025. She is currently ranked 618th in the world and hasn’t earned direct entry into a Grand Slam singles main draw since Wimbledon in 2021 — also the site of her last Grand Slam singles victory.
Her continued presence at majors, sustained largely through wildcards, remains a talking point. The US Open invite was her 12th wildcard of the season, though Grand Slam champions face no cap on wildcards received. Tournament organisers have defended the practice, citing her commercial and historical value to the sport. Karl Hale, tournament director of the Toronto WTA 1000 event — where Williams also received a wildcard this month — argued that keeping generational icons like Williams involved benefits tennis and underscores their lasting relevance.
Despite the setback, Williams remains one of the most significant figures in the sport’s history, with seven Grand Slam singles titles and a former world No. 1 ranking to her name.
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