Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 31

Venus Williams Loses 6-2, 7-6 in 2 a.m. US Open Finish as Midnight Start Renews Scheduling Scrutiny

Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 31

Venus Williams Loses 6-2, 7-6 in 2 a.m. US Open Finish as Midnight Start Renews Scheduling Scrutiny

Q: Could this historic, grueling 2 a.m. defeat mark the silent end of Venus Williams' legendary singles career?

Yes — it could very well be, but only Venus Williams can decide that, and she has not signaled that she is ready to. The facts make the question unavoidable. Williams is 46, ranked outside the top 600, entered the US Open on a wild card, and is now 0-12 in singles this year after a 6-2, 7-6(6) loss to Sofia Kenin that ended at 2:01 a.m. It was her 15th straight singles defeat overall, her sixth straight US Open singles loss, and likely one of the last realistic chances she will have to appear in a Grand Slam singles main draw. At the same time, the match was not a total collapse. After a poor first set, Williams raised her level in the second, forced a tiebreak, and held seven set points. That suggests she can still produce stretches of elite shot-making, even if she can no longer sustain it often enough to win at this level. The late-night setting also matters. Williams herself called the start time “not ideal” and said there is “room for improvement” in Grand Slam scheduling. A match beginning at 12:13 a.m. and ending after 2 a.m. was hardly a normal stage for judging a veteran’s future. What makes this feel like a possible quiet farewell is not only the loss, but the broader pattern: declining results, reliance on wild cards, and no clear evidence that a singles revival is coming. Still, Williams refused to discuss retirement afterward, saying her focus was on recovering and preparing for doubles with Serena. Until she says otherwise, speculation remains just that.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Aug 31

2 a.m. marked the end of Venus Williams’ first-round US Open loss to Sofia Kenin, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6), after the match did not begin until after midnight.
A 4 1/2-hour Novak Djokovic-Mariano Navone match pushed the night-session schedule deep into Monday, exposing the risk of pairing a best-of-five men’s match before a second contest.
Williams, 46, fell to 0-12 in singles this year and is ranked No. 618, making the late-night slot an especially awkward stage for what could be her last Grand Slam singles appearance.
The finish was reported as the latest for a US Open first-round match, adding to broader criticism that Grand Slam organizers and broadcasters have grown too accepting of post-midnight tennis.
The US Open’s two-match night session, TV priorities and New York commuting constraints leave no easy fix, but the latest delay sharpened calls to stop matches from starting after midnight.