WTA roundup: Venus Williams makes first-round exit in DC

Jul 28, 2026; Washington, D.C., USA; Venus Williams (USA) reacts after missing a shot against Anastasia Potapova (AUT) (not pictured) on day two of the 2026 Mubadala DC Open at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Venus Williams was ousted in the first round of the Mubadala DC Open on Tuesday, taking a 6-3, 6-3 loss against Austria's Anastasia Potapova in Washington. Williams, the 46-year-old star whose last singles win came at this event last year, won 78.4% of her first-serve points but just 24.1% of her second-serve points and 20% of her return points. Potapova put just 44.4% of her first serves in play but still managed to avoid facing a break point to record her first win at the DC event. Fifth-seeded Anna Kalinskaya of Russia was the only seeded competitor in action, and she beat Australia's Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 6-1 by converting four of her six break-point chances. Tuesday's other first-round winners were Poland's Magdalena Frech, who will next face No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula; Alexandra Eala of the Philippines, Uzbekistan's Polina Kudermetova and China's Xinyu Wang. The Memphis Classic No. 1 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia and second-seeded American McCartney Kessler each lost their opening matches on a chaotic day of first-round action in Tennessee. Alexandrova retired due to heat illness when she was two points away from defeat down 7-6 (2), 4-6, 5-4 against 16-year-old Russian Kristina Liutova, who was making her WTA debut. The temperature, approaching 97 degrees Fahrenheit, and the match lasting more than three hours took a toll on the 19th-ranked player in the world, who collapsed on the court ahead of her retirement. Kessler's match went the distance as she took a 6-4, 6-1 loss to Mexico's Renata Zarazua. Kessler, who is still seeking her first WTA title this year after winning two in 2025, led 4-2 in the first set before dropping four straight games. She then was broken to begin the second set and never recovered. Kessler won just 41.7% of her service points overall. Eighth-seeded Ukrainian Yuliia Starodubtseva fell 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 against American Sloane Stephens. No. 4 seed Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey, No. 6 Caty McNally and No. 7 Peyton Stearns all won three-set battles to stay alive. Darja Vidmanova of the Czech Republic and China's Ye-Xin Ma also recorded victories. --Field Level Media