Venus Williams competed extremely well early on against Madison Keys before collapsing and picking up a 6-7 (2) 0-6 loss to the reigning Australian Open champion.
Williams, who is currently ranked at No. 575 in the world and didn't play any main-level tournaments in the rest of 2025 after losing to Karolina Muchova in the US Open first round, returned to action on Thursday.
Despite being out of action for an extended time, the 45-year-old managed to make it competitive and even came close to winning a set against Keys, who recently participated at the WTA Finals. During the match, the seven-time Grand Slam champion appeared to be dealing with a shoulder issue.
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Williams is slated to start the 2025 season in the first week
Williams missed the first six months of the season before accepting a wildcard into Washington and making a comeback in July. She appeared in three tournaments during the North American hard-court swing.
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Last month, Williams was announced as a main draw wildcard recipient for Auckland, which takes place between January 05-11.
"Whats next? Well Were going to Auckland. And we have a head start practicing; its not long after the Open - so were on our feet - bah, bah, bah. For me, it was important to get started early because I hated the feeling of cramming, I wanna be ready. Got back on the court, even if I missed a day or two here, I was always there. And its paying off - so. Thats the US Open rap, were getting ready for next year," Williams explained a week ago.
