WTA roundup: Venus Williams falls in Hong Kong opener

September 4, 2026; New York, United States; Venus Williams of the U.S. reacts during her first round match with Serena Williams of the U.S. against Australia's Maya Joint and Taiwan's Chan Hao-ching. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Venus Williams lost her 17th consecutive singles match Monday at the Hong Kong Tennis Open, falling 6-2, 6-3 in the first round to fellow American Mary Stoiana in 77 minutes. The winless run dates back to July 2025 for Williams, 46, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion who said after the match that her future plans are up in the air. "I haven't made any plans for next year, but I didn't make plans this year either," said Williams, who turned pro in 1994. "I just took it one step at a time. We'll see." No. 4 seed Maria Sakkari of Greece advanced to the second round with a 6-1, 6-4 win against Carol Young Suh Lee. No. 6 Xinyu Wang of China ousted Adithya Karunaratne of Hong Kong 6-1, 6-1. No. 8 Katie Boulter of Great Britain posted a 6-2, 7-6 (2) win over Switzerland's Viktorija Golubic. Claire Liu also advanced in straight sets, while fellow American Katie Volynets was swept by Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus. Chennai Open The opening day of the tournament in India was rained out. Indonesia's Janice Tjen is the defending champion and top seed. --Field Level Media