Venus Williams loses 10-6 in Guangzhou doubles semifinal

Venus Williams lost a doubles semifinal in Guangzhou, China, on Saturday. The 46-year-old American and her partner Janice Tjen fell to Polina Kuderemetova and Maria Timofeeva. The final score was 6-4, 6-7 (8), and 10-6.

This result marked Williams' first WTA Tour doubles semifinal appearance since the 2016 Rio Olympics and Wimbledon. It was also her first overall tour semifinal since playing in Indian Wells, California, in 2018.

Williams received wild-card entries for both singles and doubles at the WTA 250 tournament in Guangzhou. She lost her singles match on Tuesday. An 18-year-old Austrian player named Lilli Tagger defeated Williams 6-2 and 6-2 in the first round.

Tagger, born in 2008, turned 18 that same year Williams won her seventh and final Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon. The Austrian teenager is currently 18 years old.

Williams is currently ranked 599th in singles. The U.S. Open was her last singles appearance before Guangzhou, where she lost in the first round to Sofia Kenin. She has now lost 16 consecutive singles matches on tour, a streak that began in July 2025.