At age 46, Venus Williams was not ready to contemplate her future following a “completely insane evening” at the U.S. Open.
She could be forgiven for being too tired to have such a conversation after losing a hard-fought battle with Sofia Kenin in a first-round match that didn’t begin until 12:13 a.m. ET on Monday — the latest start in tournament history.
It was the sixth consecutive first-round singles exit at the U.S. Open for Williams, who said she was not ready to look beyond this tournament.
“I don’t think I should have to,” said Williams, who will partner with sister Serena Williams in doubles later this week. “My mind is fully focused on that: how I recover from this completely insane evening and get ready for the next one.”
Only a few reporters were still hanging around at Arthur Ashe Stadium when Kenin completed her 6-2, 7-6 (7) victory after 2 a.m.
“It’s not ideal,” Williams said. “I would have preferred something else, definitely. It wasn’t great for either of us, so I think we both tried our best.”
Williams was playing in her record-extending 26th main draw at the U.S. Open, where she won back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001.
The match with fellow wild-card entry Kenin was delayed by Novak Djokovic’s 4-hour, 36-minute loss against Mariano Navone. The previous record for the latest start was 12:07 a.m. for a round of 32 match in 2024 between Ekaterina Alexandrova and Aryna Sabalenka, per ESPN.
After losing the first set in 32 minutes, Williams overcame a 4-2 deficit in the second set to force a tiebreak. She built a 6-2 lead in the tiebreak only to see Kenin save four set points.
“I had a lot of great moments,” Williams said. “As the match progressed, I just kept pushing myself to try to find my best tennis and to find my rhythm. It’s not easy to do in the first round. It’s not easy to do at 1 or 2 a.m. in the morning to try to find your rhythm and play your best, but I tried my best.”
Kenin converted her first match point to finish in 1 hour and 48 minutes, advancing to face No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula.
“Venus, obviously, was playing some amazing tennis,” Kenin said. “I just tried to keep fighting. I didn’t feel 100% game-wise, some nerves, but I tried to do the best to stay strong in those moments.”
Williams said she attempted to enjoy the experience despite the unusual circumstances.
“I always try to appreciate it, but it is definitely all business and there’s no room for error,” she said. “Try to soak it in, and soaking it in is more fun when the ball’s going in.”
–Field Level Media
