Venus Williams lost in straight sets to Sofia Kenin in the first round of the US Open.

Kenin defeated the 46-year-old 6-2 7-6 (8-6) in an hour and 49 minutes at Flushing Meadows, setting up a second-round tie with third seed Jessica Pegula.

Kenin wasted no time in finding her rhythm, converting two early break points to race into a 3-0 lead in the first set.

Williams managed to get a break back, though lost another service game later in the set as Kenin eyed a victory over the two-time US Open champion.

Kenin, a former Australian Open champion herself, broke ahead early in the second before being pegged back by Williams, who squandered three break-point opportunities on her way to a tie-break, but also saved four such points.

And Williams looked likely to force a decider when moving 6-2 ahead in the tie-break, though Kenin reeled off six consecutive points, clinching victory with her first match point.

A late night delight in New York! @SofiaKenin defeats Venus Williams in straight sets to move on at the @usopen.#USOpen pic.twitter.com/zHsIQ1uKyK

— wta (@WTA) August 31, 2026

Ninth seed Elina Svitolina also progressed into the second round, defeating Solana Sierra 6-1 6-2 in just 53 minutes at Flushing Meadows.

Williams still searching for first win of 2026

Williams is now 0-12 in WTA-level main draws this year; the last time she lost more matches in a single season was 15 in 2019.

In fact, she has not won a singles match since July 2025, at the Washington Open, with this her 15th consecutive defeat.

Williams has lost each of her last four matches in straight sets, while winning just one across her last seven outings.

Her singles campaign at Flushing Meadows is now over, though she will still line up alongside her sister, Serena, in the doubles event.

Svitolina, meanwhile, has claimed her 25th win at the US Open, the second WTA-level hard-court event at which she has claimed 25 wins in her career, after the Australian Open (34).