Venus Williams continued her losing streak in singles matches, extending it 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 with a wild-card but has not secured a singles victory since July 2025. Arango, a 25-year-old qualifier from Colombia ranked 95th, took just over an hour to overcome Williams at Lindner Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.

Arango broke Williams’ serve in the first game, setting the tone for the match. Williams struggled to keep up, while Arango capitalized on break points, converting 4 out of 5 and winning 71% of her first-serve points. In contrast, Williams failed to convert her sole break opportunity and only managed to win 41% of her first-serve points.

Reflecting on her performance, Arango acknowledged that taking an early lead helped calm her nerves and maintain pressure on Williams throughout the match. Arango is now set to face the 7th seed and defending Cincinnati champion, Iga Swiatek, in the next round.

Williams’ most recent singles triumph occurred last year in Washington when she defeated Peyton Stearns. Despite feeling in control of most points, Williams expressed the need to enhance her consistency in finishing plays. This marks Williams’ 11th appearance in the Cincinnati tournament.

Following her singles match, 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 previously scheduled to compete at Wimbledon until Serena’s injury. Their first-round opponents in Cincinnati will be Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns. The doubles competition is scheduled to begin on Sunday.

Looking ahead, Venus Williams is enthusiastic about the upcoming doubles matches with Serena and is also set to participate in mixed doubles at the U.S. Open later this month alongside Alexander Bublik.