Match Details

Fixture: (WC) Venus Williams vs (WC) Sofia Kenin

Date: August 30, 2026

Tournament: US Open Tennis Championships

Round: First Round (Round of 128)

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Outdoor hard

Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Queens, New York City

Prize Money: $108,000,000

Live Telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Sky Sports | Canada – TSN

Venus Williams vs Sofia Kenin preview

Venus Williams will face off against fellow American Sofia Kenin in the first round of the 2026 US Open on Sunday.

Williams enters on a wild card, still winless at the tour level in 2026 and carrying a 14-match losing streak that stretches back to 2025, most recently a straight-sets loss to Emiliana Arango in the first round of the Cincinnati Open. She’ll have the emotional weight of this stage, having won this title twice and made her debut here nearly three decades ago.

Meanwhile, Kenin, also on a wild card, enters off a tight three-set loss to Marta Kostyuk in Cincinnati, part of an even rougher season by the numbers, just six wins against 20 losses, a stretch she’s called her worst as a pro. She is a former Grand Slam champion and will be hoping a change of scenery back to a Major can spark a turnaround.

Venus Williams vs Sofia Kenin head-to-head

Their current head-to-head record stands at 0-0.

Venus Williams vs Sofia Kenin odds

(Odds via BetMGM)

Venus Williams vs Sofia Kenin prediction

Williams’s power and experience at this exact stage remain real, and she’s shown flashes of her old level in defeat this season, but a 14-match losing streak dating back over a year is hard to ignore heading into the match.

Kenin, despite her own struggles, arrives closer to a competitive baseline right now; that Cincinnati loss to Kostyuk went the distance rather than getting run off court. Her career mark against players outside the top 100, roughly where Williams now sits, remains solid even in a down season.

Given how much longer and deeper Williams’s slump has run, and Kenin’s slightly steadier recent results even in defeat, she looks like the favorite to snap her own skid here.

Pick: Sofia Kenin to win in straight sets.

Venus Williams vs Sofia Kenin betting tips

Tip 1: The match will have at least 18 games.

Tip 2: Kenin to win a set with a score of 7-5 or better.