Venus Williams dropped her first-round match at the 2026 Guangzhou Open on Tuesday, falling 6-2, 6-2 to fourth seed Lilli Tagger in just 72 minutes. The former world No. 1 never earned a chance to break serve as the 18-year-old Austrian scored 29 winners on her way to a dominant WTA win.
How Long Has Venus Williams Gone Without a Singles Win?
The loss extends a difficult stretch for the 46-year-old, who is now 0-13 in singles play in 2026. Williams has failed to make it past the first round in every WTA event she's competed in so far. On top of the loss, the 28 years between the seven-time Grand Slam champ and Tagger made for the widest age gap in WTA Tour history.
Still, Williams had reason to leave happy. The tournament marked her first Asian swing event in seven years. She entered on a wildcard after taking two months off following her US Open exit.
Tagger, meanwhile, continues a breakout year that saw her ranked below No. 700 at the start of 2025. After pairing her Roland Garros girls' title with her maiden WTA title in Prague, she climbed to No. 53.
Up next, Tagger faces Poland's Magda Linette for a spot in the Guangzhou quarterfinals.
