Venus Williams continues to struggle in singles matches, extending her losing streak to 13 games. The seven-time major champion suffered a 6-2, 6-2 defeat against Emiliana Arango in the opening round of the Cincinnati Open. Williams, aged 46, entered the WTA 1000 event as a wild-card recipient and has not claimed a singles victory since July 2025. Arango, a 25-year-old Colombian qualifier ranked 95th, secured the win in one hour and five minutes on the grandstand court at Lindner Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.
Arango capitalized on her strong start, breaking Williams’ serve in the initial game and maintaining her lead throughout the match. She converted 4 out of 5 break points and won 71% of her first-serve points, while Williams struggled, managing to win only 41% of her first-serve points and failing to convert her sole break opportunity.
Reflecting on her performance, 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.” In the next round, Arango is set to face the 7th seed and defending Cincinnati champion, Iga Swiatek.
Williams’s most recent singles victory dates back to last year in Washington when she defeated Peyton Stearns. Commenting on her game, Williams stated, “I think that at all times I was really controlling the point but unfortunately didn’t finish it the way I wanted to.” Despite her struggles, Williams remains positive about her performance, emphasizing the need for more consistency in her game.
Following her singles match, Williams will team up with her sister, Serena, for the doubles tournament in Cincinnati. The Williams sisters, who last played together at the 2022 U.S. Open, were initially scheduled to compete at Wimbledon before Serena’s injury. They are slated to face Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in the opening round of the doubles event, which kicks off on Sunday.
Looking ahead, Venus Williams expressed her excitement about the upcoming 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 scheduled to partner with Alexander Bublik for mixed doubles at the upcoming U.S. Open later this month.