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Venus Williams has mislaid her archetypal singles lucifer of 2026 to fifth-seeded Magda Linette astatine the WTA Tour tourney successful Auckland, New Zealand.
The 45-year-old Williams enactment up a superb amusement earlier losing 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to the No. 52-ranked Linette, who was lone 2 years aged erstwhile Williams played her archetypal nonrecreational singles match.
Tuesday's (January 6, 2026) lucifer was Williams' 1,101st successful singles connected the WTA Tour. But the competitiveness she showed against a subordinate 12 years her inferior volition springiness her assurance arsenic she heads to Australia for the Hobart International and the Australian Open.
The seven-time large champion received wild-card entries into the Auckland tourney and besides successful Hobart from Jan. 12, and astatine the archetypal Grand Slam tourney of the twelvemonth astatine Melbourne Park.
The Auckland lucifer was Williams' archetypal since she mislaid 6-3, 2-6, 5-1 to Karolina Muchova successful the archetypal circular of the U.S. Open past August. She played lone 3 tournaments successful 2025, beating Peyton Stearns successful July to go the second-oldest pistillate — down Martina Navratilova — to triumph a lucifer connected the WTA Tour.
Williams appeared fit, moved freely, served 7 aces, and deed hard connected some sides. "Look astatine the level she brought. She moved truly great,” Linette said successful a courtside TV interview. "She was truly hitting well, particularly erstwhile she was moving to the unfastened space.
"It was truly impressive, and I truly had to enactment calm. She pushes you to a spot you don't privation to be, and that's wherever I was for a while, truthful I'm truly gladsome I was capable to refresh and travel backmost with a small spot amended game.” Williams ranked No. 582 this week, has been a regular visitant to Auckland successful the second portion of her career. She bushed Caroline Wozniacki successful the 2015 last for the 41st of her 46 WTA Tour titles. This year, she told reporters, she felt nether nary pressure.
“The biggest unit is the 1 we enactment connected ourselves, right?” Williams said. “And past erstwhile you look back, and you're like, it wasn't specified a large deal. “So hopefully I tin look backmost with the 20/20 imaginativeness portion I'm successful the present, similar conscionable fto it go, fto it flow, bask it, and beryllium successful the moment. That's not casual to do, and that's wherefore radical emotion sports, right?” Williams started powerfully and had her archetypal ace successful her opening work game. She was breached by Linette successful the 5th crippled and trailed 5-2 earlier breaking back. Linette took the archetypal acceptable successful 51 minutes.
In the 2nd set, Williams broke successful the sixth and 10th games. She deed hard to the corners, past was capable propulsion retired crisp winners down the line. She besides went to the nett effectively.
Linette broke decisively successful the 5th crippled of the 3rd set. Williams combined with Auckland top-seed Elina Svitolina to play doubles connected Monday (January 5, 2026), losing 7-6 (7), 6-1 to Iva Jovic and Alexandra Eala. Svitolina was playing her archetypal singles lucifer aboriginal Tuesday (January 6, 2026).
