Venus Williams extended her singles losing streak to 13 matches as she was defeated by Emiliana Arango 6-2, 6-2 in the opening round of the Cincinnati Open. The seven-time major champion, who received a wild-card entry to the WTA 1000 event, has not secured a singles victory since July 2025.
Arango, a 25-year-old Colombian qualifier ranked 95th, managed to defeat Williams in just over an hour on the grandstand court at Lindner Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. Williams struggled from the outset, getting her serve broken in the first game and facing an uphill battle throughout the match. Arango capitalized on 4 out of 5 break points and won 71% of her first-serve points, while Williams could not convert her sole break opportunity and was only successful on 41% of her first serves.
Reflecting on her victory, Arango mentioned that taking an early lead helped calm her nerves and allowed her to maintain pressure on Williams. In the next round, Arango is set to face the defending Cincinnati champion, Iga Swiatek, the 7th seed in the tournament.
Williams last secured a singles win in Washington last year against Peyton Stearns. Despite feeling in control of her shots, Williams acknowledged the need for greater consistency to close out points effectively.
After her singles defeat, Venus Williams will team up with her sister, Serena, for the doubles event in Cincinnati. The duo, who last played together at the 2022 U.S. Open, were initially scheduled to play at Wimbledon but had to withdraw due to Serena’s injury. They are slated to face Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in the first round of the doubles competition, which kicks off on Sunday.
Looking ahead, Venus Williams expressed her excitement for the upcoming doubles matches and her participation in mixed doubles at the U.S. Open later this month alongside Alexander Bublik.