Venus Williams knocked out in first round of US Open in record 26th singles appearance

Venus Williams was beaten 6-2, 7-6 (6) by Sofia Kenin at Arthur Ashe Stadium in the early hours of Monday, ending her record 26th US Open singles campaign.

The match finally got underway at 12:13 a.m. local US time after Novak Djokovic's marathon, four-hour, 36-minute defeat to Mariano Navone, which caused a lengthy delay. That 12:13 a.m. start set a new US Open record for a match start time, six minutes later than the previous mark set by Aryna Sabalenka and Ekaterina Alexandrova in 2024. The encounter finished at 2:01 a.m. local time, registering as the latest finish ever for a first-round match at the tournament and the third-latest finish for a women’s match at any stage.

Kenin made a quick start and required just 32 minutes to take the opening set 6-2. Williams responded in the second set, capitalising on Kenin errors and producing several impressive shots as the late-night crowd inside Arthur Ashe Stadium tried to lift her. The 46-year-old rallied from 4-2 down to force a tiebreak and created opportunities to push the match to a decider.

There was a point earlier when the match risked being moved to Louis Armstrong Stadium because Djokovic’s match had gone on for so long, but once the men’s contest concluded the women’s first-round match remained on Arthur Ashe. Kenin held her nerve at the crucial moments in the tiebreak and Williams ultimately hit into the net to bring the contest to a close.

"Venus obviously was playing some amazing tennis," Kenin said. "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." When asked about what the latest defeat meant for her singles career, Williams said: "I don't think I should have to," and added, "My mind is fully focused on that: how I recover from this completely insane evening and get ready for the next one." Williams has now suffered 15 consecutive singles defeats, with her last victory coming in Washington in July 2025, and she has lost six straight matches at the US Open since winning her opening-round contest in 2019; she is a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion.

While the loss ends Williams' singles campaign at Flushing Meadows, she is scheduled to play doubles with her sister Serena later this week.