Venus Williams’s US Open campaign ended in heartbreak early Monday morning, the 46-year-old American tennis icon losing 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) to compatriot Sofia Kenin in a first-round clash that finished just after 2am on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
But whilst the scoreline marks another early Grand Slam exit for the seven-time major champion, the manner of her defeat, a ferocious second-set fightback demonstrated that whilst Father Time remains undefeated, Williams’s competitive fire burns as fiercely as ever.
Handed a wild card into the singles draw some 29 years after reaching the final at Flushing Meadows as a teenager in 1997, Williams left the court with her head held high after a battling performance that had the late-night New York crowd on their feet.
The cruise that became a crisis
Kenin appeared to be motoring towards a straightforward victory after racing through the opening set 6-2 and then establishing a 4-2 lead in the second.
The 27-year-old American had a break point for what would have been a commanding 5-2 advantage, seemingly moments away from wrapping up the match with minimal drama.
Instead, she ran straight into vintage Venus.
Williams recovered that game, held serve, then broke back to level at 4-4, the momentum shifting dramatically as Kenin’s composure wavered and the crowd sensed something special brewing under the lights.
The veteran forced a tiebreak, and suddenly the impossible felt within touching distance.
Six points from glory, six points from disaster
Williams sprinted to a 6-2 lead in the tiebreak, needing just one point from four attempts to force a deciding set and complete a comeback that would’ve ranked amongst the most memorable of her storied career.
Four championship points. Four chances to extend the match. Four opportunities to make the crowd’s belief worthwhile.
She couldn’t convert any of them.
Kenin, showing the mental fortitude that carried her to the 2020 Australian Open title, regrouped impressively and rattled off six consecutive points to clinch victory and end Williams’s campaign in the cruellest fashion imaginable.
From 6-2 up to 8-6 down. From the brink of a third set to the finality of defeat. That’s sport’s brutality condensed into six devastating points.
The midnight oil burns
The match only got under way just after midnight local time, delayed by Novak Djokovic’s marathon five-set loss earlier in the evening session that pushed the night’s schedule deep into the early morning hours.
By the time Williams and Kenin walked onto court, most sensible New Yorkers were asleep. But those who stayed, or those mad enough to still be awake, witnessed a contest that justified their caffeine intake and sleep deprivation.
The numbers tell a difficult story
Williams has given no indication of when she plans to call time on her singles career, but the statistics make increasingly grim reading for anyone hoping to see the veteran recapture past glories.
Her last victory in a Grand Slam singles match came at Wimbledon in 2021, where she reached the second round. Since then, Williams has made six Grand Slam singles appearances and exited in the first round on every single occasion.
At 46 years old, nearly three decades after reaching her first US Open final as a precocious teenager, Williams is defying age simply by competing at this level. But competing and winning are different beasts, and the latter has proven increasingly elusive.
The doubles dream lives on
Williams will extend her US Open campaign when she plays women’s doubles alongside sister Serena later in the tournament.
The doubles draw offers Williams another opportunity to add to her remarkable trophy collection and potentially enjoy a deeper run in the tournament that’s provided so many career highlights across nearly three decades.
Whether this represents her final US Open singles appearance remains unclear. Williams hasn’t announced retirement plans, and until she does, the possibility of one more campaign will linger.
