Nearly three decades separated the two women across the net in China, and the younger one controlled the match. It was a reminder of how long the champion has stayed in the game.
Venus Williams, 46, lost 6 to 2, 6 to 2 to Austrian teenager Lilli Tagger, 18, in the first round of the Guangzhou Open on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026.
How big was the age gap?
The 28 years between them is reportedly the largest age difference between opponents in a WTA Tour match. Williams was already a Grand Slam champion before Tagger was born, winning her first major at Wimbledon in 2000.
Tagger was born in 2008, the same year Williams won the last of her seven Grand Slam singles titles at Wimbledon. Williams beat her sister Serena in that 2008 Wimbledon final.
How did Venus Williams play?
Both players landed 63% of their first serves, but Venus Williams won just 60% of the points on her first serve while Tagger won every one of hers.
Williams did not create a single break point. Tagger, ranked No. 53, converted four of her 16 break chances. The match was over quickly, with Tagger controlling most of the rallies.
It was Williams’ first singles match in two months, since she lost in the first round of the U.S. Open to former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. Williams has played a limited schedule this season, often entering events with wild cards.
How long is Venus Williams’ losing streak?
The loss dropped Williams to no wins and 13 losses in singles this year. She has now lost 16 straight singles matches on tour dating to July of last year.
Her last tour singles win came at the Washington event that month, when she became the oldest woman to win a WTA singles match in more than two decades. She beat Peyton Stearns in that match, a win that drew cheers from fans and fellow players.
Venus Williams is now ranked No. 599 in the world, far from the top spot she first reached in 2002. She held the No. 1 ranking for 11 weeks over her career.
Why does Venus Williams keep playing?
Williams has said little about retirement, and she has repeatedly expressed her love for competing. She returned to the tour last year after a long break. She has said in the past that she still enjoys competing.
Her career already ranks among the greatest in the sport. She won five Wimbledon titles and two U.S. Open titles, along with four Olympic gold medals, and she helped lead the fight for equal prize money at the major tournaments. She was also among the first women in tennis to build a major business career off the court, including her own clothing and design companies.
Alongside her sister Serena, Venus Williams helped change the face of tennis and inspired a generation of Black players. The sisters combined for 30 Grand Slam singles titles, with Serena winning 23.
Who is Lilli Tagger?
Tagger is one of Austria’s brightest young prospects and has climbed quickly into the top 60. She won the junior title at the French Open in 2025. Tagger’s rise has made her one of the teenagers drawing the most attention on the WTA Tour.
Kenin also lost in Guangzhou, falling to Kaitlin Quevedo 6 to 4, 6 to 7, 6 to 4 in the round of 32. Kenin beat Williams in New York two months ago.
For Venus Williams, the result added another chapter to a remarkable career that continues to defy the usual timeline. Few athletes compete at the top level past age 45, especially in a sport as physically demanding as tennis.
