The former world’s top-ranked player, Venus Williams, recorded her tenth consecutive singles loss, being defeated 6-2, 6-4 by Kaitlin Quevedo at the Madrid Open.
Williams, at 45 years old, is the first previous number one to experience a 10-match losing streak since the tennis rankings were initially established in 1975.
The seasoned player’s last victory was in July of last year, when she overcame fellow American Peyton Stearns at the Washington Open.
Williams clinched the Wimbledon title five times between 2000 and 2008 and also secured the US Open championship twice. She holds the distinction for the most appearances in a Grand Slam, with this year’s Australian Open being her 95th tournament.
Her younger sibling, Serena, aged 44, has not competed since the 2022 US Open but has not formally announced her retirement.
The athlete, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, is eligible to play again after re-entering the out-of-competition anti-doping program, but she has not declared an official return.
In stark contrast, 20-year-old Quevedo from Spain is ranked 140th globally and was competing in her inaugural WTS 1000 match.
The wildcard participant recovered from a 3-0 deficit in the second set to conquer Williams, the 2010 finalist, who had already won six of her eight major titles before her opponent’s birth.
