Venus Williams is also unable to secure her first win of the season in Madrid. The US-American loses for the tenth time in a row.
Old tennis champion Venus Williams has also been eliminated in the first round of the WTA tournament in Madrid and must continue to wait for her first win in 2026. In a duel between two wildcard players, the 45-year-old winner of seven Grand Slam titles lost 2:6, 4:6 to Spain’s Kaitlin Quevedo and conceded her tenth defeat in a row.
Williams, who last won a match against her compatriot Peyton Stearns in July 2025 on her comeback after more than a year off playing in Washington, mostly lacked the necessary precision against Quevedo, who is almost 26 years younger. In the first set alone, the American made 21 unforced errors against the world number 140.
You could tell that it was Williams’ first match on clay since the 2021 French Open. Only in the second set, when she led 3:0, were relics of Williams’ old class visible at times.
Quevedo capitalizes on first match point
Quevedo, who was only born after Williams’ fifth Grand Slam title and had previously only won one match on the WTA Tour (also against Stearns), converted her first match point after 1:43 hours and a rain interruption.
Williams, who turns 46 on June 17 and has been a professional since 1994, had set the record for the oldest participant at the first major tournament of the year at the Australian Open in January. However, she was also eliminated in the first round in Melbourne.
