Venus Williams is out of the US Open and her tour-level losing streak has reached 15 matches. The 46-year-old, ranked 611th and making a record 26th US Open singles appearance, fell 6-2, 7-6 (6) to Sofia Kenin in a first-round match that began at 12.13am and finished at 2:01am. Play began late after Novak Djokovic’s five-set match delayed the schedule, and the contest lasted 1 hour 48 minutes.
Kenin controlled much of the baseline exchange, landing 28 winners to Williams’s 13 and winning 61% of points on Williams’s second serve. Williams was broken in her first game and trailed 0-3 before narrowing the gap to 2-3, but Kenin closed the opening set in 32 minutes. The second set tightened; Kenin saved three set points at 4-5, and Williams recovered to stave off four break points and force a tie-break.
In the tie-break Williams surged to a 6-2 lead and held four set points, but Kenin won six consecutive points to take the set and the match. Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, said, “Venus obviously was playing some amazing tennis. I just tried to keep fighting. I didn’t feel 100% game-wise, some nerves, but I tried to do the best to stay strong in those moments.” Kenin moves on to face the No 3 seed Jessica Pegula in round two.
The defeat leaves Williams without a singles win at a major since Wimbledon 2021 and reopens questions about the immediate future of her singles career, a line of inquiry she declined to engage. “I don’t think I should have to. My mind is fully focused on that: how I recover from this completely insane evening and get ready for the next one,” she said. She is due to play doubles with her sister Serena starting Thursday.
The wildcard that put Williams into the main draw also reignited debate over tournament spots for lower-ranked players, particularly with a first-round exit worth $140,000. Incoming tournament director Craig Tiley defended the decision, saying, “In our view, Venus deserved a wildcard. Her contribution to the game and what she brings to the event, you know, I didn’t think one second about it, to tell you the honest truth. I think she’s a magnificent champion, an American tennis icon, and we see the feedback the fans give us, and they want to see Venus play.”
