Venus Williams bows out in first round of women’s singles at US Open
Venus Williams, winner of 33 times at her career-best ranking of No. 7, withdrew from the 2016 US Open after losing in the first round on Sunday.
Williams will end 2017 ranked No. 5.
The 34-year-old American, who beat defending champion Dominika Cibulkova in the semifinals, was aiming to win her ninth major, surpassing Steffi Graf’s record.
She will go out as the oldest woman to play in the US Open, surpassing the previous mark of 34 by Billie Jean King in 1979 at the age of 34, and as the oldest woman to become a singles champion at the US Open, surpassing Steffi Graf’s record as the oldest to win the Wimbledon Championships when she did so at the age of 40 in 1968 at the age of 40.
Williams has never been ranked outside the top 10, but won 31 of her 33 singles matches before this year. Her only losses of the tournament came in her previous appearances at the US Open in 2002 and 2009.
This was her fifth career Grand Slam tournament. Of her 33 Grand Slam singles titles, 27 came in New York. Her highest singles ranking was No. 6 and her lowest was No. 22.
The top 8 seeds for the men in the US Open begin play at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The lowest-ranked men’s singles seed on the 2016 US Open roster was No. 23.
Venus Williams’ sudden departure from the US Open after defeating Dominika Cibulkova in the second round is a huge loss for the game of tennis. More importantly, she still has her No. 7 ranking in hand.
Wimbledon champion Serena Williams lost in the quarterfinals at the US Open. It is the first time a woman in Grand Slam tournament finals has been eliminated, and it is also the first time a woman has ever lost in the third round.
Serena Williams is the women’s No. 1 seed and the No. 2 seed in the men’s draw. No