Venus Williams’ 26th U.S. Open singles appearance ended in the first round Monday morning with a straight-sets loss to fellow American Sofia Kenin. The match, which began after midnight, was Williams’ 14th consecutive singles defeat.
Williams lost 6-2, 7-6 (6) in a match that concluded at 2:01 a.m., marking the latest finish for a first-round match in U.S. Open history. It was also the latest start for any match at the U.S. Open, beginning six minutes after the previous record.
The delayed start was due to Novak Djokovic’s lengthy fourth-round match. Williams and Kenin, both wild card entries, waited to take the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Kenin secured the first set in 32 minutes. In the second set, Williams rallied from a deficit to force a tiebreak, but ultimately fell after losing several set points.
Williams, 46, is a quarter-century removed from her last U.S. Open singles championship. She has won seven Grand Slam singles titles in her career, including five Wimbledon titles. She and her sister Serena also won 14 doubles titles, with their last U.S. Open doubles championship coming in 2009. The sisters are expected to compete in doubles at this year’s U.S. Open after receiving a wild-card entry.