Putri Anggraini
The storied career of Venus Williams came to a halt at the US Open as the 46-year-old American tennis legend was defeated by wildcard Sofia Kenin in a straight-sets loss. The match, which took place at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, marked Williams' 96th career Grand Slam main draw appearance and her latest in a storied career that has seen her win seven Grand Slam titles.
Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, secured a 6-2, 7-6(6) victory over Williams, who was playing in her first Grand Slam since the 2021 Australian Open. The match, which began past midnight, was the latest start in the history of the women's tournament and was attended by a significant number of fans who stayed well past midnight to catch a glimpse of Williams in action.
Williams, who was cheered on by chants of "Let's go Venus," struggled to find her rhythm early on, with both players combining for nine double faults in the opening set. Despite breaking back to love to trim the deficit to 3-1, Williams was unable to sustain her momentum and Kenin closed out the set.
In the second set, Kenin reeled off three straight games to lead 3-1. Williams, while showing flashes of her former brilliance, struggled to string points together and her second serve proved costly. Kenin saved four break points to level the set at 5-5, and after Williams held for 6-5, Kenin forced a tiebreak.
Williams appeared to have the upper hand in the tiebreak but was unable to convert any of her seven set points. Kenin, however, dug in and closed out the win, marking the end of Williams' run at the US Open.
"It's not ideal," Williams told reporters after the match. "I would have preferred something else, definitely. It wasn't great for either of us, so I think we both tried our best. I just don't know any other sport where you have to start that late. I definitely think there's room for improvement there."
Kenin, who will next face top-ranked American Jessica Pegula, was pleased with her performance against Williams. "I'm really happy with how I played tonight," Kenin said. "Venus is a great player, and I'm just really proud of myself for being able to come through in the end."
In other news from the US Open, former champion Daniil Medvedev and Jessica Pegula advanced with little fuss. Medvedev, who had crashed out in a chaotic first-round defeat a year ago, downed French qualifier Hugo Gaston 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 to quieten doubts after a frustrating run-up to the tournament.
Pegula, the world number three, beat Romania's Elena-Gabriela Ruse 6-3, 6-2 in the first match at the showpiece stadium, much to the delight of the home crowd. Twice Grand Slam champion Barbora Krejcikova became the first seeded player to exit the tournament, saving six match points before succumbing to Kamilla Rakhimova 7-6(4), 6-2 on the outer courts.
Italian Jasmine Paolini survived a scare to beat Slovenia's Veronika Erjavec 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the opener at Louis Armstrong Stadium, setting up a meeting with compatriot Lucrezia Stefanini. Czech Jiri Lehecka and Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk also advanced, with Kostyuk being joined in the next round by compatriot Elina Svitolina.
Former champion Marin Cilic and 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud pulled out due to injuries shortly after the tournament got under way, leaving the field open for other players to step up and claim their place in the latter stages of the tournament.
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