Venus Williams loses in Auckland but shows she’s still competitive at 45

Venus Williams Falls to Magda Linette in Competitive Auckland Return Match

Venus Williams showed impressive resilience despite losing her first singles match of 2026, falling to fifth-seeded Magda Linette 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 at the WTA Tour tournament in Auckland, New Zealand on Tuesday.

At 45, Williams demonstrated remarkable athleticism and power against the 33-year-old Linette, who is ranked No. 52 globally. The age gap was stark – Linette was just a toddler when Williams played her first professional singles match.

The contest marked Williams’ 1,101st singles match on the WTA Tour, a testament to her extraordinary longevity in a sport where careers often end in players’ early thirties. Despite her current No. 582 ranking, the seven-time Grand Slam champion displayed flashes of the form that once made her world No. 1.

Williams appeared in excellent physical condition throughout the match, moving freely around the court while serving seven aces and generating impressive pace on both her forehand and backhand. Her performance suggests she can still compete at a high level as she prepares for upcoming tournaments in Australia.

“Look at the level she brought. She moved really great,” Linette acknowledged after the match. “She was really hitting well, especially when she was running to the open space. It was really impressive and I really had to stay calm.”

This match was Williams’ first competitive singles appearance since her loss to Karolina Muchova in the first round of the U.S. Open last August. Her 2025 schedule was highly limited, with appearances in just three tournaments. However, she did achieve a significant milestone last July when she defeated Peyton Stearns, becoming the second-oldest woman – behind only Martina Navratilova – to win a WTA Tour match.

Auckland has been a special venue for Williams in recent years. She captured her 41st career title there in 2015, defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the final. Speaking to reporters ahead of this year’s tournament, Williams expressed a relaxed mindset about competition at this stage of her career.

“The biggest pressure is the one we put on ourselves, right?” Williams said. “Hopefully I can look back with the 20/20 vision while I’m in the present, like just let it go, let it flow, enjoy it and be in the moment. That’s not easy to do and that’s why people love sports.”

The match itself was highly competitive, particularly in the first two sets. After dropping the opener 6-4, Williams showed tactical acumen in the second set, breaking Linette’s serve in the sixth and tenth games to level the match. She effectively varied her game, hitting powerful groundstrokes to the corners before unleashing sharp winners down the line, while also making successful approaches to the net.

Linette ultimately proved stronger in the deciding set, securing a crucial break in the fifth game that propelled her to victory.

Williams had already been in action earlier in the tournament, partnering with Elina Svitolina in doubles on Monday, where they lost 7-6 (7), 6-1 to Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala.

Williams has received wild-card entries for the upcoming Hobart International beginning January 12 and the Australian Open at Melbourne Park. These tournaments will provide further opportunities to assess her competitiveness against the world’s elite players.

In other tournament action, top-seeded Svitolina made a successful singles return, defeating Vavara Gracheva 6-3, 6-1 in her first match since taking a mental health break from the tour in September.

“It was a tough season for me and sometimes when you cannot push any further it’s better just to stop,” Svitolina explained. “Definitely I’ll be opening up maybe a bit later about what was happening, but for now it’s still very fresh.”