Venus suffers US Open defeat as she lost 15th straight match

Venus Williams lost her 15th singles match in a row as she was beaten by fellow American Sofia Kenin in a 2am finish at the US Open

The 46-year-old very nearly took the first-round match into a deciding set, but 2020 Australian Open champion Kenin saved seven set points to win 6-2 7-6 (8-6). The match did not begin until 00:13 local time in New York as it followed Mariano Navone's five-set victory over Novak Djokovic on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

It was the latest starting match in US Open history, and there was barely 1,000 spectators left by the end.

"It's not ideal. I would have preferred something else definitely. I think it wasn't great for either of us, so I think we both tried our best," Williams - who was given a wildcard to play her home Grand Slam tournament - said about the midnight start.

"I just don't know any other sport where you have to start that late. I definitely think there's room for improvement there. I just kept pushing myself to try to find my best tennis and to find my rhythm. It's not easy to do in the first round. It's not easy to do it at 1am or 2am in the morning."