Venus Williams‘ 96th Grand Slam appearance ended in the early hours of Monday morning, as Sofia Kenin defeated the two-time US Open champion 6-2 7-6(6) on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The match did not begin until shortly after midnight in New York, following an extraordinary four-hour-and-40-minute battle between Novak Djokovic and Mariano Navone. By the time Williams and Kenin finally walked onto court, the date had already changed to August 31.
Kenin established control immediately. The 27-year-old broke Williams in the opening game and then struck again to move ahead 3-0. Williams struggled to find consistency, with unforced errors and double faults making it difficult for her to settle into the contest.
The second set was considerably tighter. Williams stayed within touching distance and forced Kenin into a tiebreak, but the younger American ultimately held her nerve to close out the victory and book her place in the second round.
The result extends a difficult stretch for Williams, who has now lost 15 consecutive singles matches. The 46-year-old entered the US Open having gone winless in all 12 of her singles matches this season.
Despite the singles defeat, Williams’ US Open is not over. She is also entered in the women’s doubles tournament alongside her sister, Serena Williams, after the pair received a wildcard.
Williams’ appearance against Kenin was her 26th in the US Open main draw and, more significantly, her 96th Grand Slam singles main-draw appearance — the most in the Open Era. She made her Grand Slam debut at Roland Garros in 1997!
Kenin now advances to the second round, where she will face No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula. The American opened her tournament with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
