Former world number one, 45-year-old Venus Williams, has lost 10 matches in a row in WTA singles tournaments for the first time in her career.
The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion lost at the start of the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid, losing 2:6, 4:6 to Spaniard Caitlin Quevedo, the 140th ranked player in the world.
Williams lost her 10th consecutive match on the WTA tour, a streak that dates back to the second round of the WTA tournament in Washington in July 2025. The American last won at the same tournament against Peyton Stearns.
Since then, the four-time Olympic champion has played at the US Open, Australian Open, and four “thousand-dollar” tournaments — in Cincinnati, Indian Wells, Miami, and Madrid, including the last three — in the 2026 season.
According to Opta, Williams became the only world number one to lose 10 consecutive matches at the WTA level — starting in 1975, when the first women's tennis rankings were introduced.
Seven of Venus' opponents in her 10 match losses are currently ranked in the top 100 of the WTA rankings. Three others — Czech Karolina Muchova, Polish Magdalena French and Spanish Jessica Buzas Maneiro — are in the top 50.
Since the start of her losing streak, Williams has won three sets, including in a match against her highest-ranked opponent during this period, Karolina Muchova, at the start of the US Open.
“To get some practice in, it was a great start [to the clay court season]. I won't be able to play in Rome – I have other commitments unfortunately, so I'm really sad about that,” Williams was quoted as saying by ESPN after the match with Quevedo.
At the post-match press conference, Williams also announced that she plans to play at Roland Garros in 2026. In general, the tennis player added that she wants to continue performing in the clay season before the major. In addition to the “thousandth” in Rome, the WTA 500 tournaments in Strasbourg and the WTA 250 in Rabat will be held on this surface.
Williams first played a professional match in October 1994 and, at the age of 45, set several records, including becoming the oldest female Australian Open main draw player in the history of the Open Era.