Ohio, August 15, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams’ singles losing streak extended to 13 matches after she suffered a 6-2, 6-2 defeat to Colombian qualifier Emiliana Arango in the opening round of the Cincinnati Open on Friday.
The 46-year-old American entered the WTA 1000 tournament on a wildcard but was unable to end a run that dates back to July 2025, when she last recorded a singles victory at the Washington tournament against Peyton Stearns.
Arango, 25, needed one hour and five minutes to defeat Williams on the grandstand court at the Lindner Tennis Center.
Williams was broken in the opening game and struggled to regain momentum against an opponent who consistently applied pressure. Arango converted four of her five break-point opportunities and won 71 per cent of points behind her first serve. Williams, meanwhile, failed to convert her only break chance and won 41 per cent of her first-serve points.
Arango said establishing an early advantage helped settle her nerves and allowed her to maintain control.
“That kind of eased my nerves a little bit of having maybe a little bit of breathing room. And then I think I just did a good job of staying on it, trying to make her play as much as possible,” she said.
Arango will next face defending champion and top seed Iga Swiatek in the second round.
Despite the defeat, Williams said she saw encouraging elements in her performance, particularly her ability to control rallies before struggling to close out points.
“I think that at all times I was really controlling the point, but unfortunately didn’t finish it the way I wanted to,” Williams said. “The encouraging part is that I’m controlling the shots, but I have to just get a little more consistent on that last part.”
Williams, who is making her 11th appearance at the Cincinnati tournament, will remain in the competition through the doubles event, where she will reunite with sister Serena Williams.
The sisters have received a wildcard for the doubles draw and will begin their campaign against Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns when the event starts on Sunday.
Venus and Serena last played together in doubles at the 2022 US Open. They were scheduled to reunite at Wimbledon this year, but Serena withdrew because of an injury.
“I’m excited and hope that we can both go into it fresh, on our toes and ready. I’ll be preparing for that,” Venus said.
She also has another mixed-doubles assignment later this month, with a partnership with Alexander Bublik scheduled for the US Open.
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