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Venus Williams suffers 16th defeat in a row with loss to teenager

Seven-time Grand Slam champion falls in straight sets in southern China

1 min read
SummaryOpen the quick read
  • Venus Williams lost 6-2, 6-2 against Austrian teenager Lilli Tagger at the Guangzhou Open.
  • The straight-sets defeat marks Williams' 16th consecutive loss in competitive singles play.
  • Williams, now ranked 599th in the world, has not secured a WTA Tour singles victory since July last year.
  • Despite the singles setback, Williams progressed in the doubles draw alongside Indonesia's Janice Tjen.
  • Tagger advances to the next round to face Poland's Magda Linette.
Venus Williams suffers 16th defeat in a row with loss to teenager
Venus Williams suffers 16th defeat in a row with loss to teenager Picture: KENA BETANCUR / AFP

Venus Williams suffered her 16th loss in a row in singles tennis as the 46-year-old American icon was defeated by teenager Lilli Tagger in straight sets at the Guangzhou Open on Tuesday.

Austria's Tagger, who is 28 years younger than the former world number one, eased through 6-2, 6-2 in southern China.

Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, last won a singles match on the WTA Tour in July last year.

Now ranked 599 in the world, Williams last played at the US Open in August-September, when she lost in the first round in straight sets to Sofia Kenin.

Williams won in the doubles with Indonesia's Janice Tjen in Guangzhou on Monday.

They will play again on Wednesday.

The 53rd-ranked Tagger faces Magda Linette of Poland in the next round.

The Herald