Venus Williams beaten by Sofia Kenin in 2am US Open finish, her 15th straight singles loss

Venus Williams lost her 15th singles match in a row when she was beaten by fellow American Sofia Kenin in a 2am finish at the US Open.

The 46-year-old last won a singles match in July 2025 and Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, prevailed 6-2 7-6 (8-6) after saving seven set points. The match did not begin until 00:13 local time in New York because it followed Mariano Navone's five-set victory over Novak Djokovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium; it was the latest starting match in US Open history and there were barely 1,000 spectators left by the end.

Asked about the midnight start, Williams — who received a wildcard to play her home Grand Slam tournament — said: "It's not ideal. I would have preferred something else definitely. I think it wasn't great for either of us, so I think we both tried our best." She added: "I just don't know any other sport where you have to start that late. I definitely think there's room for improvement there."

Williams pushed Kenin in the second set and led the tiebreak 6-2, but the former world number one lost the final six points of the match. Kenin saved seven set points en route to closing out the straight-sets victory.

Williams is ranked 618th in the world and the wildcard she received into the tournament was her 12th of the season so far, a fact that has prompted debate over whether she merits that entry. Tournament director Karl Hale defended invitations for past champions, saying: "I think it's good for tennis to have these generational icons."

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash said he understood the commercial draw of a Williams appearance but questioned taking wildcard opportunities from younger players: "That makes complete sense. You need a draw card, a legend to come out and play in these smaller tournaments," he said. "The Grand Slams sit on their own. It's up to Venus whether she thinks she's good enough to play and play well enough. I personally don't think she should be taking a wildcard away from a young player after she's had a great career."

Williams has not qualified for a Grand Slam by ranking since Wimbledon 2021, which is also where she recorded her most recent singles win at a major. Her US Open first-round defeat by Kenin was her 19th loss in 20 singles matches, though she did beat Peyton Stearns in Washington in July 2025, and tournament directors in New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Germany, Canada and the United States have sought her presence this year.

Eight of the 128 spots in a Grand Slam singles draw are allocated to wildcards, and WTA and ATP events usually offer between four and eight wildcards depending on field size. Hale, who offered Williams a wildcard for this month's WTA 1000 event in Toronto, added: "The way we looked at Venus is that her legacy is phenomenal. She's done so much for the sport and is really popular here in Toronto and our markets specifically - so we thought it was really good to announce it early that we have a Williams sister coming. Venus played opening day. She kicked off our tournament, so it added a lot of value."

The article noted that other sports have reduced automatic return opportunities for past champions, citing changes to the Open Championship in golf, and recalled that Martina Navratilova received a wildcard for both the 2004 French Open and Wimbledon and won a round on the grass at age 47.

Williams now turns her attention to the women's doubles, where she will play alongside her sister Serena, and when asked whether she has thought about her future she was non-committal: "I don't think I should have to," she said. "I mean, my mind is fully focused on that (the doubles). So I'm going to recover from this completely insane evening and get ready for the next one."