Venus Williams Continues Losing Streak in 2026
The 46-year-old tennis icon has not won a singles match this year, extending her overall drought to 16 consecutive WTA Tour matches.
Venus Williams' singles struggles have persisted into 2026, with the veteran player falling to 16-year-old Austrian Lilli Tagger in the Guangzhou Open on Tuesday.
Williams, 46, lost in straight sets to the teenager, with Tagger winning 6-2, 6-2. This marks Williams' 13th singles match loss of the year, bringing her current singles record to 0-13 for 2026. Her losing streak on the WTA Tour now extends to 16 matches, dating back to July 2025.
Ranked No. 599 in the world, Williams' defeat to the 53rd-ranked Tagger was not unexpected. This was her first singles match since the US Open, where she was eliminated in the first round by Sofia Kenin.
Williams' last singles victory was at the DC Open in 2025, where she defeated Peyton Stearns. She subsequently lost in the following round to Magdalena Frech. Her Grand Slam singles win drought is longer, with her last victory in a major tournament occurring in the first round of Wimbledon in 2021 against Mihaela Buzarnescu. She was defeated by Ons Jabeur in the second round of that tournament.
Despite her singles challenges, Williams has found more success in doubles. She recently partnered with Janice Tjen to defeat Ekaterine Gorgodze and Kimberly Zimmerman 6-0, 7-5. Williams and Tjen are scheduled to face Lyudmyla Kichenok and Makoto Ninomiya in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.