Sofia Kenin defeats Venus Williams in record late US Open start

American wildcard Sofia Kenin defeated 46 year old Venus Williams 6-2, 7-6(6) in a US Open first round match that began at 12:13 am. The match, which took place at Arthur Ashe Stadium, marked the latest start to a women's match in the history of the tournament. The delay occurred after Novak Djokovic lost to Mariano Navone in a five set match. Williams, who entered the tournament as a wildcard for her 96th career Grand Slam main draw appearance, struggled with her second serve and committed several unforced errors. Despite leading in the second set tiebreak, Williams was unable to convert seven set points, allowing Kenin to secure the victory. Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, will face the third seeded Jessica Pegula in the second round. Williams stated that the late start was not ideal and that there is room for improvement regarding scheduling. She remains in the tournament to compete in women's doubles with her sister, Serena Williams. Other first round results included wins for Daniil Medvedev, Jessica Pegula, and Jasmine Paolini, while seeded player Barbora Krejcikova was eliminated by Kamilla Rakhimova.