Venus Williams continues her singles losing streak, now at 13 matches. The seven-time major champion suffered a 6-2, 6-2 defeat against Emiliana Arango in the Cincinnati Open’s first round. Williams, 46, entered the WTA 1000 event via a wild-card entry and has not won a singles match since July 2025. Arango, a 25-year-old qualifier from Colombia ranked 95th, took just over an hour to secure victory over Williams at the Lindner Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.
Arango broke Williams’ serve in the opening game, setting the tone for the match. Williams struggled to convert her break opportunity and only managed a 41% success rate on first-serve points. Arango capitalized on break points, converting 4 out of 5, and won 71% of her first-serve points. Looking back on the match, Arango mentioned that gaining an early advantage helped ease her nerves and allowed her to maintain pressure on Williams.
In the next round, Arango is set to face No. 7 seed and defending champion Iga Swiatek. Williams’ most recent singles victory occurred last year in Washington against Peyton Stearns. Despite feeling in control of her shots, Williams acknowledged the need for more consistency to close out points effectively. This marks Williams’ 11th appearance in the Cincinnati tournament.
While Venus Williams exits the singles competition, she will team up with her sister, Serena, for the doubles event in Cincinnati. The Williams sisters, who last played doubles together at the 2022 U.S. Open, missed out on Wimbledon due to Serena’s injury. They are scheduled to face Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in the first round of the doubles tournament, commencing on Sunday. Venus Williams expressed her excitement and readiness for the upcoming doubles matches and revealed plans to participate in mixed doubles with Alexander Bublik at the upcoming U.S. Open.