Venus Williams loses to Sofia Kenin in latest finish in US Open history

Sunday had become Monday by the time Venus Williams finally emerged beneath the closed roof of Arthur Ashe Stadium, her entrance pushed deep into the night after Novak Djokovic’s bruising defeat by Argentina’s Mariano Navone went the five-set distance. The first ball was struck at 12.13am, the latest start to a match in US Open history, yet several thousand spectators remained to watch a player who has been part of this tournament for as long as the building itself.

At 46 years old, ranked 611th in the world and making her record-extending 26th US Open singles appearance, Williams has grown accustomed to making history simply by showing up. Even by those standards this latest installment was, as she would later describe it, “completely insane”.

The match itself proved somewhat more straightforward. Williams was beaten 6-2, 7-6 (6) by fellow American wildcard Sofia Kenin in their first-round encounter after 1hr 48min, extending her losing streak at tour level to 15 matches and leaving her without a win at a major tournament since Wimbledon in 2021.

“Venus obviously was playing some amazing tennis,” said Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion who also reached the Roland Garros final later that year. “I just tried to keep fighting. I didn’t feel 100% game-wise, some nerves, but I tried to do the best to stay strong in those moments.”

Williams, a seven-time grand slam champion in singles but a silhouette of the player who lifted back-to-back US Open titles in 2000 and 2001, was broken in her opening service game after three minutes and again the next time she stepped to the line, quickly falling 0-3 behind. She briefly steadied herself, breaking Kenin then holding for 2-3, but the resistance proved fleeting as her opponent reeled off the next three games to take the opening set in 32 minutes.

Kenin, who had won just five of 21 tour-level matches this year, was made to negotiate a far trickier second set. Just when the 27-year-old appeared ready to stroll into the next round after seizing an early break, she came undone in a blur of unforced errors that left the door open for Williams, the clear crowd favorite.

The match appeared to turn for good with Kenin serving at 4-5, love-40, only for her to erase three set points to wriggle free. Williams then fought off four break points in the next game to force a tie-break, where she surged to a 6-2 lead and staked four more chances to force a decider. But the finish line proved elusive as Kenin reeled off six straight points to snatch the set and the match at one minute past 2am, sending her through to another all-American clash in the second round with the No 3 seed Jessica Pegula.

Williams’ second serve was particularly vulnerable on the night, with Kenin winning 61% of the points played behind it, while the younger American dictated the longer exchanges from the baseline. Kenin finished with more than twice as many winners (28) as Williams (13) and repeatedly proved steadier on the match’s biggest points.

If the result prompted a fresh round of questions about Williams’ future, she was in no mood to field them.

“I don’t think I should have to,” said Williams, who is scheduled to play alongside her sister Serena in the women’s doubles starting Thursday. “My mind is fully focused on that: how I recover from this completely insane evening and get ready for the next one.”

Williams’ wildcard invitation has inevitably raised the question of whether a place in the draw might have been better allocated to a younger player. A first-round loser at this year’s US Open earns $140,000 – potentially a life-changing sum for a player grinding away on the lower reaches of the tour, where travel, coaching and training expenses can easily outstrip prize money. For some, a main-draw wildcard and the payday attached to it can mean the difference between financing another year as a professional and walking away from the sport altogether.

Yet Craig Tiley, the US Open’s incoming tournament director, was unequivocal when asked about the decision on Saturday. “In our view, Venus deserved a wildcard,” he said. “Her contribution to the game and what she brings to the event, you know, I didn’t think one second about it, to tell you the honest truth.

“I think she’s a magnificent champion, an American tennis icon, and we see the feedback the fans give us, and they want to see Venus play.”

Williams has been world No 1 in singles and doubles, won four Olympic gold medals and 14 grand slam doubles titles in addition to the seven in singles. She made her debut here as a 17-year-old in 1997 – the same year Ashe was completed and replaced Armstrong as the tournament’s main stadium – becoming the first unseeded player in the Open era to reach the final before losing to Martina Hingis. Given her preposterous longevity and pan-cultural resonance, it wouldn’t be hyperbolic to call her one of the five most famous active sportspeople on the planet.

Whatever the merits of the wildcard debate, the rollicking crowd who stayed inside a tennis stadium past 2am on Monday to watch a 46-year-old ranked outside the top 600 offered its own verdict on why the US Open keeps inviting her back. The hour at which she was asked to do so was another matter.

“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. I just ⁠don’t know any other sport where you ⁠have to start that late. I definitely think there’s room for improvement there.”