Venus Williams's US Open comeback ends in three-set loss to Karolina Muchova

Venus Williams put in a good effort but ultimately fell to Karolina Muchova, who had to fight hard to secure a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 victory. The 11th seed did not have her best performance but managed to claim a tight victory against the seven-time Grand Slam champion, who was making her return to a Grand Slam main draw after two years.

The former world No. 1 had a great second set, although her double faults never let her get comfortable, totaling 10 throughout the match. Muchova overcame a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd that was completely devoted to supporting the local player and managed to secure her spot in the second round, where she will look to defend the semifinals she reached in 2024.

Venus Williams started her service game tentatively, struggling to land a first serve, and a double fault ended up giving Muchova the break to start the match. After the Czech defended her first service game, Williams found herself in serious trouble while serving at 0-2, 0-40, but she managed to start landing good first serves and quickly found a rhythm, winning her first service game of the match.

The world No. 602 then took command for several minutes, winning three consecutive games to take the lead at 3-2. These were complicated moments for Muchova, who looked erratic and consistently hit balls long from the forehand side. The match never really found a consistent rhythm, with short points and errors from both sides, although Muchova gradually began to look more precise from the baseline, securing a break that put her ahead in the seventh game.

Muchova led 5-3, and Venus was serving to stay in the set. A double fault from the American gave Muchova her first set point. And despite Williams managing to save it, she committed another double fault shortly after—this time on a second set point against her—with which Muchova secured the 6-3 advantage in a set that proved to be more complicated than many would have expected for the talented 29-year-old star.

The second set began in the best way possible for Williams, who secured an opening break and then advanced to a 2-0 lead on her own serve. The seven-time Grand Slam champion held firm with a notable 76% first-serve percentage, winning 73% of those points. The American showed her best tennis against an overwhelmed Muchova, while the entire Arthur Ashe Stadium turned out to support the legendary former world No. 1.

Although Muchova managed to keep pace on her serve without major issues, she was unable to put any pressure on Williams. By the seventh game, her errors caught up to Muchova, who gave her opponent another opportunity. Williams took advantage, securing her second break of the set. The two-time US Open champion saved a break point at the end and secured the set 6-2 after 41 minutes.

Williams had a composed reaction to continue the match, and Muchova quickly left the court for a toilet break to cool down for the decisive set. The 2024 semifinalist looked much more composed at the start, landing good first serves and easily winning the first game.

Although the errors continued for the former French Open runner-up, she managed to get a break, looking fresher than her opponent, who was slowly starting to show the fatigue of a long match. Muchova advanced to 3-0 in a little over 10 minutes, taking a comfortable lead in the final part of the match.

Williams won a single service game to shorten the distance to 1-3, but it was the last game in which she was able to remain competitive. Muchova stepped on the gas and elevated her game in the final part of the match against an erratic Venus. The Czech prevailed in a match that had become complicated in the second set, and she ended up closing out the victory 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, guaranteeing her spot in the second round.

In the second round, the opponent will be the winner between Argentina's Solana Sierra and Romania's Sorana Cirstea, who at 35 years old arrives after winning the third title of her career at the Cleveland Open.