Venus Williams lost her 15th singles match in a row as she was beaten by fellow American Sofia Kenin in a 2am finish at the US Open.
The 46-year-old very nearly took the first-round match into a deciding set, but 2020 Australian Open champion Kenin saved seven set points to win 6-2 7-6 (8-6).
The match did not begin until 00:13 local time in New York as it followed Mariano Navone’s five-set victory over Novak Djokovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
It was the latest starting match in US Open history, and there was barely 1,000 spectators left by the end.
“It’s not ideal,” Williams – who was given a wildcard to play her home Grand Slam tournament – said about the midnight start.
“I would have preferred something else definitely. I think 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.
“I just kept pushing myself to try to find my best tennis and to find my rhythm. It’s not easy to do in the first round. It’s not easy to do it at 1am or 2am in the morning.”
Seven-time major singles champion Williams proved highly competitive in the second set, but lost the last six points of the match having led the tiebreak 6-2.
The former world number one is ranked 618th in the world and the wildcard she received into the tournament was her 12th of the season so far – leading to some questioning whether she deserves one.
But there is no limit to the number of wildcards a Grand Slam champion can receive and, for many tournaments, having a Williams sister on site still makes commercial sense.
“I think it’s good for tennis to have these generational icons,” said Karl Hale, the tournament director who offered Williams a wildcard for this month’s WTA 1000 event in Toronto.
“That they are still allocating wildcards for them says something to their intrinsic value to the tournaments.”
Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash does not think Williams should be taking wildcards away from younger players, but understands the enduring pull of the iconic American.
“That makes complete sense. You need a draw card, a legend to come out and play in these smaller tournaments,” Cash said during BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra’s US Open coverage.
“The Grand Slams sit on their own. It’s up to Venus whether she thinks she’s good enough to play and play well enough.
“I personally don’t think she should be taking a wildcard away from a young player after she’s had a great career.”
