Former world number one Venus Williams lost to Taiwan's Hsieh Su-Wei, 6-2, 6-3 in the first round to crash out of the WTA Chicago Women's Open. World No. 73, Su-Wei knocked out Williams in a dominating straight-set victory. As fans glared, stunned, Venus took a moment to open up on her disappointing loss, "I definitely wish I could have won today. I was just so rusty. I’d love for the conditions to continue where we’re able to play sports on the South Side, because it’s really beautiful here.”
The seven-time Grand Slam winner Williams, who is the oldest player in the draw at 41, spent just 67 minutes on the court in a one-sided opening round match at the Washington Park tennis facility on Chicago’s South Side. Williams is now just 3-9 on the season and has seen her ranking drop to 147 in the world. Of those nine losses this season, two have been against the 125th-ranked Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
For Venus, coming back to the tennis court had taken a while since she last played a competitive game at the 2021 Wimbledon Championship. Ever since her exit, she had stayed off-court, leaving fans wondering about her future. Hence, her comeback in Chicago was twice as special, as it gave fans hope to see the legend at the upcoming US Open.
Williams began her 2021 season in Melbourne, competing at the Australian Open. Unfortunately, her journey ended pretty quickly, as she lost in the second round. After that, she competed in Miami but ended her stint after losing in the opening round.