Venus Williams extended her singles losing streak to 13 matches after being defeated 6-2, 6-2 by Emiliana Arango in the first round of the Cincinnati Open. The seven-time major champion, aged 46, entered the WTA 1000 event on a wild-card entry 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 started with Williams losing her serve in the opening game, putting her at a disadvantage for the rest of the game. Arango capitalized on 4 out of 5 break points and won 71% of her first-serve points, while Williams struggled to convert her only break opportunity and managed to win only 41% of her first-serve points.
Reflecting on her early lead, Arango stated, “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 set to face No. 7 seed and defending Cincinnati champion Iga Swiatek in the second round.
Williams’s previous singles victory occurred last year in Washington, where she defeated Peyton Stearns. Making her 11th appearance in the Cincinnati tournament, Williams mentioned, “I think that at all times I was really controlling the point but unfortunately didn’t finish it the way I wanted to. 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 defeat, Williams will team up with her sister Serena for the doubles event in Cincinnati, receiving a wild-card entry. The Williams sisters were supposed to play doubles at Wimbledon, but Serena’s injury prevented it. They are scheduled to face Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in the first round of the upcoming doubles tournament, starting on Sunday.
Looking ahead, Venus Williams expressed her excitement about the doubles match, stating, “I’m excited and hope that we can both go into it fresh, on our toes and ready. I’ll be preparing for that.” Additionally, Venus is set to compete in mixed doubles at the U.S. Open later this month alongside Alexander Bublik.