Venus Williams faced a defeat in singles play, extending her losing streak to 13 matches. The seven-time major champion was beaten 6-2, 6-2 by Emiliana Arango in the opening round of the Cincinnati Open. Williams, aged 46, secured a wild-card entry to the WTA 1000 event but has not clinched a singles victory since July 2025. Arango, a 25-year-old qualifier from Colombia ranked 95th, triumphed over Williams in one hour and five minutes on the grandstand court at Lindner Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. Williams struggled after having her serve broken in the initial game, while Arango capitalized on break points, converting 4 out of 5 and winning 71% of her first-serve points. In contrast, Williams failed to convert her sole break opportunity and only managed to win 41% of her first-serve points.
Arango expressed her strategy of staying ahead and making Williams play as much as possible to secure the win. She is set to face the No. 7 seed and defending Cincinnati champion Iga Swiatek in the next round. Williams’ last singles victory occurred in Washington last year when she defeated Peyton Stearns. Reflecting on her performance, Williams mentioned that although she controlled the points, she needed to enhance her consistency in finishing them off.
Following her singles match, Venus Williams will compete in the doubles event with her sister, Serena, after receiving a wild-card entry. The duo last played doubles together at the 2022 U.S. Open and was scheduled to play at Wimbledon before Serena’s injury. They are slated to face Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in the first round of the Cincinnati Open doubles tournament starting on Sunday. Venus Williams expressed excitement about the upcoming doubles match and her participation in mixed doubles with Alexander Bublik at the U.S. Open later this month.
