Venus Williams suffered a first-round exit in a record 26th appearance at the US Open

Venus Williams’ record 26th US Open singles campaign ended in the early hours of Monday when she was defeated by American Sofia Kenin 6-2, 7-6 (6) at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The match finally started at 12:13 local US time after a long delay caused by this The four-hour and 36-minute defeat of Novak Djokovic in the marathon on Mariano Navone. The unusually late start set a new US Open record, coming six minutes later than the previous mark set by Aryna Sabalenkova and Ekaterina Alexandrova in 2024.

The night ended with another tough result for Williams. The 46-year-old has now suffered 15 consecutive singles defeats, with her last victory coming in July 2025 in Washington. She has also lost six straight US Open matches since winning the opening round in 2019.

There’s still a chance to see Williams back on the court at Flushing Meadows this week. She is due to play doubles with her sister Serena, but the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion was unwilling to speculate on what her latest defeat meant for her singles career.

“I don’t think I should,” Williams said when asked about her future. “My mind is fully focused on: how to recover from this absolutely insane evening and prepare for the next one.”

Kenin got off to a fast start, needing just 32 minutes to win the opening set 6-2. Williams responded in the second, making the most of her opponent’s mistakes and hitting some impressive shots as the nighttime crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium tried to lift her up.

The 46-year-old fought back from 4-2 down to force a tiebreak and have a chance to extend the match. However, Kenin held her nerve in the crucial moments and Williams finally ended the match with a shot at the net.

“Venus obviously played some amazing tennis,” Kenin said. “I just tried to keep fighting. I didn’t feel 100% game, some nerves, but I tried my best to stay strong in those moments.”

The extraordinary schedule meant Williams and Kenin had to wait late into the night to take the court. Their match was initially at risk of being moved to the Louis Armstrong Stadium because Djokovic’s match was taking so long.

Once the men’s competition was over, the women’s first round match remained at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The eventual 12:13 start made it the latest in US Open history.

Williams and Kenin then played into the early hours of the morning, with the match ending at 2:01 a.m. local US time. This made it the last recorded result of a first round match at the US Open and the third last for a women’s match at any stage of the tournament.

While the defeat ended Williams’ singles campaign, her performance at Flushing Meadows may not be over just yet. She is due to return to the court alongside Serena in the women’s doubles later this week.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

31 Aug 2026 12:36 IST