NEW YORK : Sofia Kenin beat fellow American Venus Williams 6-2 7-6(6) in a U.S. Open first-round match that began at 12:13 a.m. on Monday, the latest start in women’s tournament history.
The match at Arthur Ashe Stadium got underway after Novak Djokovic’s five-set defeat by Mariano Navone, with a sizable crowd staying past midnight for another glimpse of 46-year-old Williams, who was playing as a wild card in her 96th Grand Slam main draw.
“It was extremely late,” Williams told reporters. “I’ve never played a match that late before and I was happy to see that so many people stuck around for that. It was a real honour to play in front of them.”
Kenin broke serve in the opening game and never trailed in the first set, racing into a 3-0 lead as both players struggled to find their rhythm and combined for nine double faults.
Williams, backed by chants of “Let’s go Venus”, broke back to love to reduce the deficit to 3-1 but surrendered serve again as Kenin pulled away to take the set.
The 2020 Australian Open champion reeled off three straight games to lead 3-1 in the second set. Williams showed flashes of the form that earned her seven Grand Slam titles but struggled to string points together, with her second serve proving particularly costly.
Kenin saved four break points to level at 5-5, prompting Williams to scream in frustration after surrendering another game through unforced errors. Williams held for 6-5, but Kenin forced a tiebreak.
Williams appeared to have the advantage in the decider but could not convert any of her seven set points as Kenin held firm to complete the victory.
“It’s not ideal,” Williams said. “I would have preferred something else definitely. 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.
“It’s not easy to do in the first round. It’s not easy to do it at 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. in the morning to try to find your rhythm and play your best, but I tried my best.”
Kenin will next face top-ranked American Jessica Pegula.
