Venus Williams Exits US Open in First Round After Loss to Sofia Kenin

Venus Williams officially bid farewell to the US Open singles competition after a 2-6, 6-7(6) defeat to fellow American Sofia Kenin in the first round. The match took place on Arthur Ashe Stadium in the early hours of Tuesday (local time) and was confirmed as the latest start in the history of the tournament's women's singles.

The match only began after Novak Djokovic's five-set loss to Mariano Navone earlier on the schedule. Despite it being nearly 1 a.m., many spectators stayed to watch Williams, who entered as a wildcard, make her 96th appearance in a Grand Slam main draw.

“It was a very late match. I've never played this late, and I'm glad to see so many people stayed. To play in front of them was a real honor,” Williams said.

In the first set, Kenin broke serve in the opening game and led 3-0 as both players committed nine double faults. Williams briefly closed to 3-1 but couldn't prevent Kenin from taking the set.

In the second set, Kenin won three consecutive games to lead 3-1. Williams showed flashes of the form that earned her seven Grand Slam titles but struggled to maintain momentum, especially on second serves.

Kenin saved four break points to level at 5-5, prompting Williams to scream in frustration after unforced errors. Williams still managed to hold serve to go up 6-5 before Kenin forced a tiebreak. There, Williams couldn't convert any of her seven set points, and Kenin capitalized to seal the win.

“It's not ideal. I definitely wanted a different result. I don't know another sport where you have to start that late. I think there's definitely room to improve that. It's not easy at the first round, at 1 or 2 a.m., to get into a rhythm and play your best, but I tried my hardest,” Williams added.

Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, will face America's top-ranked player Jessica Pegula in the next round.

Medvedev cruises, Paolini advances

Later that day, former champion Daniil Medvedev and Jessica Pegula both secured comfortable victories as the tournament, with a record $108 million prize fund, got underway.

Medvedev lost in the first round last year in a chaotic match, but this time he was focused and defeated France's Hugo Gaston 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. “The last few weeks haven't been easy. I'm happy that I played high-level tennis today,” said Medvedev, who was eliminated early in Cincinnati and Montreal.

World No. 3 Pegula beat Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-2 in the first match on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Barbora Krejcikova, a two-time Grand Slam champion, became the first seeded player to exit after losing to Kamilla Rakhimova 6-7(4), 2-6 despite saving six match points.

Jasmine Paolini defeated Veronika Erjavec 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 on Louis Armstrong Stadium, while Jiri Lehecka beat Pablo Carreno Busta 6-1, 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-2. Marta Kostyuk and Elina Svitolina also advanced after wins over Storm Hunter and Solana Sierra, respectively.

Notably, former champion Marin Cilic and 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud withdrew due to injuries after the tournament began.