Venus Williams on the verge of setting unwanted record after abysmal Cincinnati Open exit

Venus Williams is one of the greatest female tennis players of all time, but since returning to the tour after a year away in July 2025, she's endured a nightmare.

On Friday, Williams suffered an embarrassing first-round exit at the Cincinnati Open with a 6-2, 6-2 defeat against Emilia Arango.

The 46-year-old, who is ranked 615th in the world, was given a wildcard entry to an event where she reached the final a dozen years ago, but was outclassed by the Colombian on this occasion.

Arango was born just a few months after Williams won her first Grand Slam singles title in 2000, and 26 years later, the world number 95 described facing the legendary American as a "surreal" opportunity.

"When the draw came out, and I saw it, I was like, ‘Oh man.’ It’s so exciting to get this opportunity,” Arango said after a straight-sets victory. “When I was growing up, I always saw her on TV, so to get to play her is really crazy.”

The decline of Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one, is incredibly sad for many tennis supporters to witness, and she continues to look like a shadow of her former self on court.

Unfortunately, continuous defeats only put her at risk of making unwanted history in the sport, when she was normally used to setting records for all the right reasons.

A defeat to Arango was her 11th of the season while competing on organiser free entries and her 14th straight loss dating to July last year.

Only five players in WTA history have lost more games in a row than Williams, and that includes Madeleine Pegel, who suffered an extraordinary 29 defeats in a row between 1968 and 1972.

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Next on the list is Shuai Zhang with 24 losses on the bounce between 2023 and 2024, with Arantxa Rus (2012-2013) and Sandy Collins (1984-1987) both tied in third after losing 17 matches in succession.

A defeat for Williams in her next WTA singles match would see her climb into joint-fifth on this unwanted list, equalling Kristina Mladenovic, who recorded 15 losses in a row from 2017 to 2018.

Williams returns to the court for doubles action with her sister, Serena, at the Cincinnati Open on Sunday against Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.

Venus Williams reacts to defeat against Emilia Arango

While competing in these tournaments demonstrates her longevity, many have criticised the five-time Wimbledon champion for damaging her legacy after losing every singles match she's featured in this year.

The veteran has accepted a wildcard into each of the 11 events so far in 2026, but despite suffering yet another defeat, she did take something encouraging from her performance.

Williams felt she could control many of the rallies but struggled to finish points consistently, stating: "I think that at all times I was really controlling the point, but unfortunately didn’t finish it the way I wanted to."

The American was ultimately outclassed by the 26-year-old, who won 71% of her first-serve points and an impressive 90% of her second-serve points.

A much-improved display will be needed in a doubles clash on Sunday, or she will risk facing more embarrassment.