Venus Williams Suffers 15th Straight Singles Defeat In US Open Loss

Venus Williams’ singles campaign at the 2026 US Open ended in the first round after the 46-year-old American suffered her 15th consecutive singles defeat.

Williams was beaten 6-2, 7-6(6) by fellow American Sofia Kenin in a match that began at 12:13 a.m. local time at Arthur Ashe Stadium and finished shortly after 2 a.m.

The defeat extends Williams’ losing streak to 15 matches dating back to her last singles victory in Washington in July 2025. It was also her sixth consecutive first-round exit at the US Open since she last won an opening-round match at the tournament in 2019.

Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, controlled much of the opening set and took it 6-2. Williams responded strongly in the second, however, recovering from a 4-2 deficit to put herself in position to force a deciding set.

The American veteran eventually led 6-2 in the second-set tiebreak and had seven opportunities to take the set. Kenin refused to surrender, winning six consecutive points to complete the comeback and secure victory.

The unusually late start came after Novak Djokovic’s marathon match against Mariano Navone, which lasted four hours and 36 minutes and delayed the Williams-Kenin contest. The match became the latest-starting singles match in US Open history.

Williams admitted the scheduling was difficult, saying she would have preferred an earlier start. Despite the defeat, she declined to speculate about whether the match represented the end of her singles career.

Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion and two-time US Open winner, will now turn her attention to doubles, where she is scheduled to partner her sister Serena Williams later in the tournament.

Kenin advances to the second round, where she will face fellow American Jessica Pegula.

The defeat marked another difficult chapter in Williams’ remarkable career, which has spanned more than three decades and produced 49 WTA singles titles alongside her seven Grand Slam triumphs.

Despite the latest setback, Williams continues to draw strong support from fans, with her longevity and achievements ensuring her place among the most influential figures in women’s tennis.