The Austin crowd wanted a spark. A flash. A vintage night.
It never came.
At 45, Venus Williams suffered her seventh straight main-tour loss, dumped 6-4, 6-1 by Ajla Tomljanovic in the first round of the Texas WTA 250. A promising start, then the inevitable slide.
She refuses to quit. Her body doesn’t always keep up.
A promising first set… then it snapped
Venus began with authority. Two breaks up, attacking tennis, plenty of swagger until 4-3 with serve to follow.
For a few minutes, it felt like something special might happen.
Tomljanovic kept her cool. She tightened things, stretched the rallies, forced Venus to hit one more ball. Three games in a row and the set was gone, 6-4.
The match had turned.
Second set was one-way traffic
Once rolling, Tomljanovic ran away with it.
In the second, the world No.74 set the rhythm. Venus, a wildcard ranked 560th, couldn’t reverse the momentum. Slower on her feet, more ragged in the long rallies.
Final score: 6-4, 6-1 in 1h34.
Into Round 2 💪
Ajla Tomljanovic defeats Williams 6-4, 6-1 to progress in Austin.#ATXOpen pic.twitter.com/V2FrRd4zlq
— wta (@WTA) February 24, 2026
That’s seven losses on the spin for the former world No.1 since her win over Peyton Stearns in Washington last July. Nothing but defeats since.
Tomljanovic meets Jovic next, Pegula out
Tomljanovic moves into the last 16 where she’ll face Iva Jovic.
Earlier in the day the No.2 seed, world No.18, lived up to her billing without wobbling. Facing Anna Blinkova, she cruised with authority, 6-3, 6-4.
With Jessica Pegula withdrawing, she now becomes the highest-ranked player left in the draw. That brings a target. That brings pressure.
Ajla Tomljanovic can claim a rare marker now. She’s beaten both Williams sisters on the big stages and on tour — she famously ended Serena’s run at the 2022 US Open.
Venus keeps going, against all odds
The loss hurts. The streak stretches on. But Venus isn’t hanging up her racket.
She’ll be at the WTA 1000 in Indian Wells next week, in singles and doubles. Another tournament. Another go.
At 45, every outing is an act of defiance.
The level isn’t what it once was. The flame still burns.
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