Venus Williams’ Singles Skid Reaches 13 at Cincinnati Open

Venus Williams’ singles losing streak reached 13 matches on Friday as qualifier Emiliana Arango earned a 6-2, 6-2 first-round victory at the Cincinnati Open. Williams, playing with a wild-card entry at the WTA 1000 event, was beaten in 1 hour, 5 minutes on the grandstand court at Lindner Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.

The seven-time major champion has not won a singles match since July 2025, when she defeated Peyton Stearns in Washington. Her latest appearance was her 11th at the Cincinnati tournament, but an early service break left Williams chasing the match against the 25-year-old Colombian.

Arango takes control after early break

Arango, ranked No. 95 and competing as a qualifier, broke Williams’ serve in the opening game and maintained control through both sets. She converted four of her five break-point opportunities and won 71% of points behind her first serve.

Williams had one break opportunity but could not convert it. She won 41% of her first-serve points, with Arango’s early advantage proving difficult to erase as the match progressed.

Arango said the opening lead helped settle her into the contest. “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.

The result sends Arango into the second round, where she will face No. 7 seed and defending Cincinnati champion Iga Swiatek. For Arango, the win provides a notable opening-round result at one of the WTA calendar’s 1000-level events and sets up a meeting with the tournament’s defending champion.

Williams identified elements of her game that she found encouraging despite the straight-sets defeat. “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 remains in Cincinnati for doubles

Williams’ Cincinnati campaign is not over, with doubles still to come alongside her sister Serena Williams. The sisters received a wild-card entry and are scheduled to face Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns in the first round when the doubles competition begins Sunday.

It will be the Williams sisters’ first doubles appearance together since the 2022 U.S. Open. They had been slated to play doubles at Wimbledon before withdrawing.

Venus Williams said she is looking ahead to that next assignment in Cincinnati. “I’m excited and hope that we can both go into it fresh, on our toes and ready. I’ll be preparing for that,” she said.

Williams is also set to play mixed doubles at the U.S. Open later this month with Alexander Bublik. Her Cincinnati singles result, however, extends a difficult run in the discipline, with Arango’s efficient service performance and break-point conversion deciding Friday’s first-round match.