&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US Open: Venus Williams suffers first-round exit in record 26th appearance")
Four-time Olympic champion Venus Williams was eliminated from the US Open 2026 women’s singles event after losing 2-6, 6-7(6) to fellow American Sofia Kenin in the first round at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Kenin took control early and won the opening set 6-2 in 32 minutes. Williams fought back in the second set after falling 2-4 behind and managed to take it to a tie-break, however, Kenin stayed composed and completed the win after Williams missed several set points.
The loss extended Williams’ singles losing streak to 14 matches, with her last singles victory coming in Jul 2025.
The two-time US Open champion was playing in the tournament’s main draw for the 26th time and was making her 96th Grand Slam appearance.
Williams’ singles campaign is over, but she will remain in New York for the women’s doubles competition. She will team up with her sister Serena Williams after the pair received wildcards for the event.
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The defeat also left Williams with a 0-12 record in singles this season and was her fifth straight first-round exit at the US Open, according to the WTA.
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Kenin hit 28 winners and made 21 unforced errors, while Williams produced 13 winners and 24 unforced errors. The victory was only Kenin’s sixth main-draw win at the WTA level in 2026.
Kenin will next face No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula, who beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-2.
Earlier, Novak Djokovic also suffered a surprise first-round defeat at the US Open. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was beaten 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 by Argentina’s Mariano Navone in a marathon match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
With inputs from agencies
