And the same humiliating pattern continues for Venus Williams. The veteran received a wildcard for both the singles and doubles draws for the Hong Kong Open. But her tournament started on a woeful note as she was defeated 6-2, 6-3 by Mary Stoiana in the opening round. This result continues the most unsuccessful spell of her career, and it’s hard to see her getting out of this slump for now.

Venus has now lost 14 matches in a row this season. She will end the 2026 season without any singles victory. Despite her disastrous record, she still keeps on getting wildcards in almost every important tournament on the Tour. The 46-year-old has also come under criticism for the same, as many fans believe she is taking up the place that a younger player deserves.

Venus’ defeat to Stoiana was pretty much one-sided. She didn’t create even a single break-point opportunity, and her own serve was broken on four occasions. Stoiana controlled most of the match and was superior to Venus on almost all the fronts. Having ended the season on the lowest of lows, it remains to be seen whether Venus will be able to improve her form next year.

While her singles form may have been poor, the story is very different in doubles. Venus has participated in doubles draws throughout the season and has formed pairs with several WTA players. This includes the likes of Serena Williams, Alexandra Eala, Diana Shnaider, and more. Her best result of the season came recently at the Guangzhou Open, where she teamed up with Janice Tjen.

The pair won two matches and reached the semifinals. This was the first time that Venus managed to reach the last 4 of a doubles draw this season. However, the two weren’t able to secure a spot in the final as Polina Kudermetova and Maria Timofeeva defeated them 6-4, 6-7, 10-6. Despite the loss, it was a promising campaign for both Venus and Tjen.

But the American has decided to play alongside a different partner at the Hong Kong Open. She has formed a pair with Xu Yifan, and the two will begin their campaign with a clash against Ya-Hsin Lee and Wu Fang-hsien. This will be the last doubles draw Venus will play this season, so she will want to make a deep run in the event.

But while she may be doing better in doubles, the loss to Stoiana has seen Venus create unwanted WTA history. She has now joined the list for the biggest losing streaks on the WTA circuit in history.

Venus Williams now has one of the longest losing streaks in WTA history

This was Venus’ 17th consecutive loss on the Tour, and her last victory dates back to the 2025 Washington Open, where she defeated Peyton Stearns to become the second-oldest woman to win a WTA tour-level match.

The American has gone winless in 2026 despite playing the highest number of matches since 2019. Not to mention that she has won just five of the 39 sets she has played. Venus currently has the joint third-longest losing streak in WTA history. Like her, both Sandy Collins and Arantxa Rus also had a losing streak of 17 matches.

China’s Zhang Shuai had a losing streak of 24 matches between 2023 and 2024. The current record is held by Madeleine Pegel, who lost 29 matches in a row between 1968 and 1972. While Venus is still far away from Pegel’s tally of consecutive defeats, she can very well reach it if she doesn’t improve her form next season.

It is unlikely that tournaments will stop providing Venus with wildcards next season. Despite her terrible form, it can’t be denied that she is a legend of the sport and brings prestige to any event. She also has a decent record in doubles, so it’s likely that she will continue competing in both draws.