Venus Williams Suffers Historic 10th Straight Defeat Following Madrid Open Exit

Veteran American Venus Williams suffered an early exit at the Madrid Open after a straight-sets loss to Spain’s Kaitlin Quevedo, extending her run of defeats in singles matches. The 45-year-old was beaten 6-2, 6-4 in her opening-round appearance, marking her 10th consecutive loss on the WTA Tour.

The result places Williams in an unusual position statistically, as she becomes the first former world number one to record a double-digit losing streak since the introduction of the Women's Tennis Association rankings in 1975. Her last win came in July last year, when she defeated Peyton Stearns at the Washington Open.

Quevedo impresses on WTA 1000 debut

Quevedo, ranked 140th, was playing her first match at WTA 1000 level and showed composure throughout. After taking the opening set comfortably, she recovered from an early deficit in the second to close out the match in straight sets.

The Spaniard maintained control from the baseline and capitalised on errors from Williams, who struggled to sustain momentum during key points.

Williams reflects on clay season plans

Despite the result, Williams indicated she is focused on building match fitness during the clay swing. She also confirmed she will not feature at the upcoming Rome event due to prior commitments.

"Yeah, I mean, to get my feet dirty, this was a great start," she said after the match.

"I'm not able to play Rome, I have other commitments, unfortunately, so I'm really super sad about that, actually. My husband is Italian, so we feel sad that we can't be there. So we would love to keep it going on the clay."

Williams remains one of the most decorated players in the sport, with multiple Grand Slam titles. This includes five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open. She has also featured in a record number of major tournaments.

Meanwhile, her sister Serena Williams has not returned to competition since the 2022 US Open, although she remains eligible to resume her career.