Venus Williams’s singles losing streak has now extended to 13 matches as the seven-time major champion was defeated 6-2, 6-2 by Emiliana Arango in the opening round of the Cincinnati Open. Williams, aged 46, received a wild-card entry to the WTA 1000 event and has not secured 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.
The match began with Williams having her serve broken in the initial game, setting the tone for the rest of the encounter. Arango capitalized on 4 of 5 break points and won 71% of her first-serve points, while Williams struggled, converting only one break opportunity and managing a 41% first-serve success rate. Reflecting on her early lead, Arango mentioned, “That kind of eased my nerves a little bit of having maybe a little bit of breathing room. And then I think I just did a good job of staying on it, trying to make her play as much as possible.”
Arango is now set to challenge No. 7 seed and defending Cincinnati champion Iga Swiatek in the second round. Williams’s most recent singles win occurred last year in Washington against Peyton Stearns. Commenting on her performance, Williams, participating in her 11th tournament appearance, stated, “The encouraging part is that I’m controlling the shots, but I have to just get a little more consistent on that last part.”
Following her singles exit, Williams will team up with her sister, Serena, for the doubles event in Cincinnati, after receiving a wild-card entry. The Williams sisters, who last played doubles together at the 2022 U.S. Open, were initially scheduled to compete at Wimbledon before Serena’s injury. Their first-round opponents will be Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns, with the doubles matches commencing on Sunday.
Looking ahead, Venus Williams expressed her excitement for the upcoming doubles competition and mentioned her plans to participate in mixed doubles at the U.S. Open later this month alongside Alexander Bublik.
