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The storied career of Venus Williams came to a sudden halt at the US Open as the 46-year-old American tennis legend fell victim to a straight-sets defeat at the hands of wildcard Sofia Kenin. The match, which began past midnight at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, marked the latest start in the history of the women's tournament and was a poignant reminder of Williams' enduring presence on the court.
Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, capitalized on the late-night start and the fatigue that inevitably sets in during such late matches. She broke serve in the opening game and never looked back, securing a 6-2, 7-6(6) victory over Williams. The match was a stark contrast to the electric atmosphere that had greeted Williams earlier in the tournament, as fans stayed on well past midnight to witness the veteran in action.
Williams, who was playing in her 96th career Grand Slam main draw appearance, expressed her gratitude to the fans who remained to support her. "It was extremely late," she said. "I’ve never played a match that late before, and I was happy to see that so many people stuck around for that. It was a real honour to play in front of them."
Despite the late hour, Kenin maintained her composure and dominated the opening set, racing to a 3-0 lead. Williams, cheered on by the crowd with chants of "Let’s go Venus," managed to break back to love to trim the deficit to 3-1, but Kenin quickly regained her advantage and closed out the set.
The second set was equally one-sided, with Kenin leading 3-1 and showing no signs of letting up. Williams, despite displaying moments of her renowned form, struggled to string points together and her second serve proved costly. Kenin saved four break points to level the set at 5-5, and Williams held for 6-5 before Kenin forced a tiebreak.
In the tiebreak, Williams appeared to have the upper hand, but she failed to convert any of her seven set points. Kenin, however, dug in and closed out the win, leaving Williams to reflect on a match that was not ideal. "It’s not ideal," Williams said. "I would have preferred something else, definitely. It wasn’t great for either of us, so I think we both tried our best."
Kenin's victory sets up a clash with top-ranked American Jessica Pegula in the next round, while Williams, who will play in the women's doubles with her sister Serena, will be looking to end her US Open campaign on a high note.
In other news from the tournament, former champion Daniil Medvedev and Jessica Pegula advanced with relative ease, as players began their campaigns for a share of the record $108m prize purse. Medvedev, who had exited the Cincinnati and Montreal tournaments early, downed French qualifier Hugo Gaston 6-4, 6-2, 6-4, while Pegula beat Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-2 in the first match at the showpiece stadium.
Barbora Krejcikova became the first seeded player to exit the tournament, saving six match points before succumbing to Kamilla Rakhimova 7-6(4), 6-2 on the outer courts. Italian Jasmine Paolini survived a scare to beat Slovenia's Veronika Erjavec 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the opener at Louis Armstrong Stadium, setting up a meeting with compatriot Lucrezia Stefanini.
Former champion Marin Cilic and 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud pulled out due to injuries shortly after the tournament got under way, adding to the list of high-profile withdrawals. As the tournament progresses, the remaining players will be vying for a spot in the latter stages and the chance to etch their names into tennis history.
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