BREAKING: Venus Williams makes unwanted history with 10th straight loss in Madrid

Former world number one Venus Williams suffered her 10th consecutive singles defeat after a straight-sets loss to Kaitlin Quevedo at the Madrid Open, Sport360NG reports. 

The 45-year-old American was beaten 6-2, 6-4, extending a difficult run that marks the longest losing streak of her career. Williams becomes the first former world number one to lose 10 matches in succession since the WTA rankings were introduced in 1975.

Her last victory came in July 2025, when she defeated compatriot Peyton Stearns at the Washington Open.

Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, enjoyed her most dominant period at Wimbledon, where she lifted the title five times between 2000 and 2008, in addition to two triumphs at the US Open. She also holds the record for the most Grand Slam appearances in the Open era, reaching her 95th major at this year’s Australian Open.

Attention has also lingered on her younger sister, Serena Williams, who has not competed since the 2022 US Open. Although the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion has not formally announced her retirement, she recently re-entered the sport’s out-of-competition drug testing pool, making her eligible for a potential return.

In contrast, Quevedo delivered a standout performance on one of the biggest stages of her young career. The 20-year-old Spaniard, ranked 140th in the world, was featuring in her first WTA 1000 main-draw match.

After dropping behind 3-0 in the second set, the wildcard mounted an impressive comeback to seal victory over Williams, a former finalist in Madrid in 2010. The generational gap between the pair was evident, with Williams having claimed six of her Grand Slam titles before Quevedo was born.