Venus Williams Suffers 17th Consecutive Defeat

Posted : 02 November 2026

Venus Williams has admitted that she is taking her tennis career one week at a time after suffering her 17th consecutive singles defeat at the Hong Kong Open on Monday.

The 46-year-old American was beaten 6-2, 6-3 by compatriot Mary Stoiana in the opening round, extending a difficult run that dates back to July 2025. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion was unable to find her rhythm against the 23-year-old, who is ranked 113th in the world compared with Williams' position at 597.

Williams struggled to contain Stoiana throughout the contest and failed to create a single break-point opportunity. Despite receiving strong support from the Hong Kong crowd, the former world number one could not prevent another early tournament exit.

The defeat followed another disappointing appearance at the Guangzhou Open, where Williams lost in straight sets to Austrian teenager Lilli Tagger last week. Her previous singles outing before the Asian tournaments was at the US Open, where she was eliminated in the first round by Sofia Kenin.

With questions growing about whether she intends to continue competing in singles next season, Williams refused to make any firm commitments about her future.

She explained that she had not made long-term plans for either the current campaign or 2027, preferring to approach her career gradually and assess her options as circumstances develop.

Williams also joked that she might ask her younger sister Serena for advice about what to do next. Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, made a surprise return to professional tennis this year.

The veteran added that the sisters have always encouraged one another and that she feels no pressure to make an immediate decision about her playing future.

Although her singles results have been disappointing, Williams has enjoyed some encouragement in doubles competition. She reached the semifinals of the Guangzhou Open alongside Indonesia's Janice Tjen and is also scheduled to compete in the doubles event in Hong Kong.

For Stoiana, the victory represents an important breakthrough as she advances to the second round, where she will face either Romanian top seed Sorana Cirstea or Uzbekistan's Maria Timofeeva.

Williams, meanwhile, will continue taking her career one step at a time, leaving open the possibility of another return to the singles court in 2027.

Venus Williams Suffers 17th Consecutive Defeat

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