Venus Williams bows out of US Open with straight-sets defeat to Sofia Kenin

Venus Williams has been eliminated from her 26th U.S. Open singles competition, losing to fellow American wild card Sofia Kenin in the first round. The 46-year-old tennis star fell in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6 (6), after not taking the court until midnight. This could mark the final singles match at a Grand Slam, if not her entire career.

It was Williams' 14th consecutive singles defeat since her last win in Washington in July 2025. She and Kenin, 27, had a lengthy wait to begin their match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, delayed by Novak Djokovic's lengthy 4-hour, 36-minute defeat to Mariano Navone. Kenin won the first set in just 32 minutes, but Williams fought back to rally in the second set, forcing a tiebreak before eventually losing.

The match concluded at 2:01 a.m., making it the latest finish for a first-round match in U.S. Open history. This marks the third-latest finish for a women's match at any stage of the tournament. Williams is a quarter-century away from her second consecutive championship win in New York, having also won Wimbledon five times from 2000-08, giving her a total of seven Grand Slam singles titles.

She and her sister Serena, who together claimed 14 doubles titles, including the U.S. Open in 1999 and 2009, are likely to return to doubles play this year after receiving a wild-card entry.