Veteran American tennis star Venus Williams continued a difficult stretch on the WTA Tour, slipping to a 0‑13 singles record for the 2026 season after a decisive 6‑2, 6‑2 loss to teenager Lilli Tagger in the opening round of the Guangzhou Open on Tuesday.
Age gap sets a record
The match featured a 28‑year age difference between the competitors, reportedly the widest gap ever recorded in a WTA Tour match. Tagger, an 18‑year‑old Austrian born in 2008, the same year Williams captured her final Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, demonstrated the rising talent of the next generation.
Match statistics
Both players served at a similar rate, each landing 63% of their first serves. However, Williams converted only 60% of those points, while Tagger won every point on Williams’s first serves. Williams failed to generate any break‑point opportunities, and Tagger capitalized on four of the 16 break points she earned.
Williams’s recent form
Now ranked No. 599, Williams was playing her first singles match in two months, having last appeared at the U.S. Open where she fell in the first round to Sofia Kenin. The loss in Guangzhou extends her losing streak to 16 straight singles matches, a run that began in July of the previous year.
Implications for the veteran
While the results are disappointing for a player of Williams’s stature, they also highlight the depth and competitiveness of today’s women’s tennis. The emergence of players like Tagger underscores the sport’s continual evolution and the challenges veteran athletes face when competing against younger opponents.
Other tournament notes
In the same tournament, Kenin, who also lost at the U.S. Open, was eliminated in the round of 32, falling 6‑4, 6‑7 (5), 6‑4 to Kaitlin Quevedo.
Williams’s long career, marked by seven Grand Slam singles titles and a lasting impact on the game, remains a testament to her dedication and influence on tennis. Fans and commentators alike will watch to see how she navigates the remainder of the season.
Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.
