Venus Williams pushed No. 11 Karolína Muchová to a third set in the US Open opening round on Monday night, but she lost despite her best efforts.
Williams dominated the second set, but Muchová overcame it to win 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. Muchová progresses to the second round on Wednesday as a result of the victory. The competition for Williams is over. In her first Grand Slam match since 2023, however, she put on a spectacle for the enthusiastic throng that flocked to Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch the two-time US Open champion.
When Williams, who received a wild card invitation to the event, spotted Muchová triple break point, she surrendered her opening service and fell behind 3-0 in the first set. However, Williams overcame a 40-0 deficit to win her opening match and make sure it would not be a landslide.
In order to return to serve, Williams then broke Muchová. However, she gave Muchová a 6-3 first set win by dropping a second service game and then double faulting on set point. In the second, however, Williams did not roll over.
She took a 5-2 lead and served for the set after breaking Muchová’s opening service and then breaking her again. Making Muchová hit long, she took advantage of the situation and forced a winner-take-all third set.
It was the first set victory at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2023 and the first time Williams had won a set at the US Open since 2019. In the third set, Williams’ energy was running low. Muchová won the match with ease, winning 6-1. Williams, who had not participated in a Grand Slam since the US Open in 2023, was playing in just his third match of the year. After taking a break from tennis, partly to take care of her health, she made her debut at the 2025 season on July 23 at the DC Open.
There, she defeated 23-year-old Peyton Stearns in the opening round, making her the second-oldest woman to win a singles match at the tour level. She had not played singles since March 2024. Against the world’s 11th-ranked player on Monday, that magic was not replicated. However, after Mochova tried to abandon the first set, Williams fought back.