Venus Williams, 46, took a wild card into her 26th U.S. Open. Will she win her first-round match?
58% of users predicted NO — the community got this one right. 19 predictions cast.
Venus Williams, 46, lost her first-round match at the 2026 US Open to Sofia Kenin, 6-2, 7-6(6), in a match that began at 12:13 a.m. ET on August 31 — the latest start time in tournament history. Kenin won the first set in 32 minutes; Williams rallied from a 4-2 deficit in the second set to force a tiebreak but could not close it out, and Kenin converted on her second match point. Williams, playing her 26th US Open on a wild card, extended her losing streak in singles to 15 consecutive matches, a stretch dating back to July 2025. The loss raised the possibility, discussed widely in coverage of the match, that it could be Williams's final Grand Slam singles appearance. Only 42 percent of the community predicted a Williams win, meaning a majority correctly anticipated the loss, extending a difficult stretch for one of the sport's most decorated players as she competes into her late 40s.