Venus Williams Falls To Kenin In US Open Opener

Venus Williams suffered her 15th consecutive singles loss on Monday, falling to fellow American Sofia Kenin in a first-round match at the US Open that concluded at approximately 2 a.m. local time.

The 46-year-old wildcard entrant pushed the 2020 Australian Open champion to a second-set tiebreak, but Kenin saved seven set points to secure a 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) victory on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The contest did not begin until 12:13 a.m. ET, following Mariano Navone’s five-set upset win over Novak Djokovic on the same court. The delayed start made it the latest-commencing match in the tournament’s history, with fewer than 1,000 spectators remaining in the stands by the finish.

Williams, who received a wildcard into her home Grand Slam event, criticized the scheduling, stating that the midnight start was less than ideal for both competitors. She noted that no other sport requires athletes to compete at such a late hour and suggested that tournament organisers have room for improvement.

The veteran also acknowledged the difficulty of finding her rhythm under the unusual conditions, saying she kept pushing herself to locate her best tennis despite the challenges of playing a first-round match in the early morning hours.