Venus Williams’ difficult run in singles continued at the US Open after she suffered a first-round defeat to fellow American Sofia Kenin.
The 46-year-old former world No. 1 was beaten 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) by Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, extending her losing streak in singles to 15 consecutive matches.
The encounter was played in the early hours of Monday morning after beginning at 12:13 a.m. local time in New York. It followed Mariano Navone’s five-set victory over Novak Djokovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium, which resulted in Williams and Kenin playing the latest-starting match in US Open history.
Only around 1,000 spectators were still inside the stadium when the match eventually ended at about 2 a.m.
Williams struggled to find her rhythm in the opening set, which Kenin claimed 6-2. However, she fought back strongly in the second set and forced a tiebreak.
The American veteran appeared close to taking the contest into a deciding set when she opened up a 6-2 lead in the tiebreak. Despite having seven set points, Williams could not convert any of them as Kenin won the final six points to seal the victory.
Williams later criticised the scheduling of the match, saying the extremely late start made conditions difficult for both players.
“It’s not ideal. I would have preferred something else, definitely,” Williams said.
She added that playing a first-round match at 1 or 2 a.m. made it difficult to find the necessary rhythm and level of tennis.
The latest defeat means Williams has now lost 19 of her last 20 singles matches. Her only victory during that stretch came against Peyton Stearns in Washington in July 2025.
Currently ranked 618th in the world, Williams has not qualified for a Grand Slam singles main draw through her ranking since Wimbledon in 2021. Her most recent singles victory at a Grand Slam also came at that tournament.
Williams’ continued participation in major tournaments through wildcards has generated debate, particularly as the US Open invitation was her 12th wildcard of the season.
However, Grand Slam champions are not subject to a limit on the number of wildcards they can receive. Tournament organisers have also continued to recognise Williams’ commercial and historical importance to the sport.
Karl Hale, tournament director of the WTA 1000 event in Toronto, where Williams received another wildcard earlier this month, defended the decision to invite her.
According to Hale, having generational tennis icons such as Williams remain involved is beneficial to the sport and demonstrates their enduring value to tournaments.
Despite the latest setback, Williams remains one of the most influential figures in women’s tennis, having won seven Grand Slam singles titles and reached the world No. 1 ranking during her illustrious career.
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