Venus Williams has fallen at the US Open for what may prove to be the final time.
After Novak Djokovic was upset by Mariano Navone in a gruelling four-hour and 36-minute battle, the 46-year-old Williams finally took center court with fellow sponsor invite Sofia Kenin sometime after midnight.
Kenin won the first set in a half hour, but Venus battled back from a 4-2 deficit in a thrilling second set to force seven set points. Ultimately, though, she dropped the final six points of the match to suffer a 6-2 7-6 defeat.
The match concluded at 2:01am local time.
When the elder Williams sister was given a wild card into the event, the US Tennis Association initially held one spot, which surely would have gone to sister Serena if the six-time US Open champ wanted to play.
But the 44-year-old decided to only compete in doubles this year, so the USTA awarded that last wild card over the weekend to American Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion.
Venus Williams is seen during a changeover in what proved to be a gruelling first-round exit
Sofia Kenin of the US reacts after winning her first round match against Venus Williams
Williams will continue on at the US Open, where she will play doubles with sister Serena
Despite Venus’ defeat, the Williams sisters will again play doubles together at the US Open.
They previously won the 1999 and 2009 US Open doubles titles and are 27-7 in their nine appearances. They last played in 2022, losing in the first round in what was expected to be Serena’s final match in Flushing Meadows. Remarkably, the Williams sisters teamed to win 14 Grand Slam doubles titles along with Olympic gold medals in 2000, 2008 and 2012. They shared the No. 1 ranking in women’s doubles for eight weeks.
Serena returned to tennis this summer after a four-year absence, and the sisters were set to play at Wimbledon before Serena had to withdraw after injuring her knee in her singles loss. They played in the Cincinnati Open, losing in the first round.
On Tuesday, Serena played with Carlos Alcaraz in mixed doubles, winning one match before losing in the quarterfinals.
