WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Venus Williams lost her first singles match of 2026 to No. 5 seed Magda Lynette at the WTA Tour tournament in Auckland, New Zealand.
The 45-year-old Williams put in a great performance, but lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to Lynette, who is ranked No. 52. Williams was only two years old when she competed in her first professional singles match.
Tuesday’s match was Williams’ 1,101st singles match on the WTA Tour. However, her competitiveness against players 12 years her junior will give her confidence as she heads to Australia for the Hobart International and Australian Open.
The seven-time major champion has secured a wild card spot for the Auckland tournament, which starts in Hobart from January 12, and the first Grand Slam of the year at Melbourne Park.
The match in Oakland was Williams’ first since losing to Karolina Muchova 6-3, 2-6, 5-1 in the first round of the US Open last August. She played in just three tournaments in 2025, defeating Peyton Stearns in July to become the second-oldest woman to win on the WTA Tour, after Martina Navratilova.
Williams looked healthy and moved freely, serving seven aces and hitting hard on both sides.
“Look at the level she brought. Her movement was really great,” Lynette said in a courtside television interview. “She was hitting really well, especially when she was running to open space.
“It was really impressive and I really had to settle down. She pushes people to places they don’t want to go and I was there for a while, so it was really nice to come back refreshed and play a little bit better.”
Williams, ranked No. 582 this week, has been a regular visitor to Oakland in the latter half of his career. She defeated Caroline Wozniacki in the 2015 final to win her 41st of 46 WTA Tour titles. She told reporters she didn’t feel any pressure this year.
“The biggest pressure is the pressure we put on ourselves, right?” Williams said. “And you look back and think, ‘It wasn’t that big of a deal.’
“So while I’m living in the moment, I hope I can look back with a 20/20 vision. Just kind of let go, go with the flow, enjoy it, and be in the moment. It’s not easy. That’s why people love sports, right?”
Williams got off to a strong start, scoring her first ace in her first service game. She was broken by Lynette in the fifth game, trailing 5-2 before breaking back. Lynette took the first set in 51 minutes.
In the second set, Williams broke in the sixth and 10th games. She was able to hit hard into the corners and pull off sharp winners down the line. She also went online effectively.
Lynette made a decisive break in the fifth game of the third set.
Williams played doubles with No. 1 seed Elina Svitolina of Oakland on Monday, losing 7-6 (7), 6-1 to Iva Jovic and Aleksandra Ila. Svitolina was playing her first singles match late Tuesday.
