Venus Williams faced another defeat in singles play, extending her losing streak to 13 matches. The seven-time major champion was outplayed by Emiliana Arango with a score of 6-2, 6-2 during the opening round of the Cincinnati Open. Despite being 46 years old, Williams secured a wild-card entry to the WTA 1000 event but hasn’t claimed a singles victory since July 2025. Arango, a 25-year-old qualifier from Colombia ranked 95th, managed to defeat Williams in just over an hour on the grandstand court at Lindner Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.
In their match, Williams struggled from the start as her serve was broken in the initial game, leading to a challenging match for her. Arango capitalized on break points, converting 4 out of 5, and won 71% of her first-serve points. On the other hand, Williams failed to convert her sole break opportunity and only managed to win 41% of her first-serve points. Reflecting on her early lead, Arango mentioned that it helped calm her nerves and maintain pressure on Williams throughout the match.
Looking ahead, Arango is set to face the 7th seed and defending Cincinnati champion Iga Swiatek in the next round. Williams’s most recent singles triumph occurred last year in Washington against Peyton Stearns, and despite feeling in control of her shots, she acknowledged the need to enhance her consistency in finishing points during matches. This marks Williams’s 11th appearance in the Cincinnati tournament.
Following her singles loss, Williams will team up with her sister, Serena, for the doubles competition in Cincinnati after receiving a wild-card entry. Their last doubles appearance together was at the 2022 U.S. Open, and they missed out on playing at Wimbledon due to Serena’s injury. The duo is scheduled to face Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in the opening round of the doubles event starting on Sunday. Venus Williams expressed her excitement for the upcoming doubles matches and shared her preparations to enter the competition with a fresh mindset.
Additionally, Venus is set to participate in mixed doubles at the upcoming U.S. Open alongside Alexander Bublik later this month.