A Season to Forget, a Final Chance to Remember
Venus Williams heads to the Hong Kong Tennis Open next week carrying the weight of a 16-match losing streak, but also the determination of a seven-time Grand Slam champion who refuses to walk away quietly. The 46-year-old American has received a wildcard into the WTA 250 event, which doubles as her final tournament of the 2026 season. It has been a brutal campaign in singles: Williams dropped all 13 of her matches this year, including a first-round defeat to Sofia Kenin at the US Open and a 6-2, 6-2 loss to Lilli Tagger at the Guangzhou Open just this week. Her last tour-level singles victory came back in July 2025, when she memorably defeated Peyton Stearns upon returning from a 15-month absence.
Stoiana Stands in the Way, Cirstea Looms Beyond
Williams opens against fellow American Mary Stoiana, a former Texas A&M collegiate player ranked at a career-high of 113th in the world. Stoiana has been on a sharp upward trajectory: she came through qualifying to reach a Grand Slam main draw for the first time at this year's US Open, and recently reached the quarterfinal of the WTA 250 Japan Women's Open in Osaka after defeating seventh seed Oleksandra Oliynykova and Moyuka Uchijima. The winner could face top seed Sorana Cirstea in round two, as the Romanian veteran competes in the final event of her professional career. On the doubles side, Williams has shown brighter form, reaching the Guangzhou semifinals alongside Janice Tjen, and will partner Xu Yifan in Hong Kong's doubles draw. TennisDraw users will be watching closely to see whether Williams can be backed as a bracket pick to finally snap that streak.
