Venus Williams falls at first hurdle in Cincinnati

Venus Williams rallied from 4-1 down in the first set but could not maintain momentum, the seven-time Grand Slam champion falling 6-4, 6-4 to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Thursday.

Williams, 45, was competing for the second time in three weeks after returning to the WTA tour in Washington in her first tournament in 16 months.

Williams won her first-round match in Washington before bowing out to Magdalena Frech in straight sets.

“I had so much fun out there, and there were definitely moments where I had a lot of chances,” Williams said. “I thought she played super well. I have to definitely give her a lot of credit.

“It’s hard for me to be upset,” Williams added. “I know that I lost this match because I just, I need more matches.

“I could have played better. But the thing I feel good about is that I did go for it. It’s not that I didn’t know what to do. It’s just that I need to keep working on it.”

Bouzas Maneiro, ranked 51st, was thrilled by the sense of occasion on the opening day of the tournament, the last major tuneup prior to the August 25 start of the US Open.

“It was not easy at all,” the Spaniard said of taking on Williams. “She’s a legend, it was a privilege to play against her.”

Bouzas Maneiro said her 87-minute win was “like a dream”.

“I never thought that I would ever play Venus,” the 22-year-old said. “I was just lucky with that. 

“I tried to have a lot of intensity, but I had no rhythm. She hits so hard. I tried to focus. I had to be positive to win the points.”

Williams was playing Cincinnati for the 11th time. She reached the semi-finals in 2012 and in her most recent prior appearance had lost in the second round to China’s Zheng qinwen in 2023.

She said this week that after a serious health scare last year that involved surgery to remove uterine fibroids she is relishing her return to the courts.

“I’m in a completely different space and I have a clean bill of health, thank God,” she said.

In results from the ATP Masters 1000 event draw, Brazil’s Joao Fonseca began with a win over China’s Bu Yunchaokete 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.

Fonseca overcame 18 unforced errors and snapped a three-match losing streak in Masters 1000 events.

“I was struggling a lot, missing a lot of shots, not feeling my best today,” Fonseca admitted. “I was staying in the game, believing that I would find the opportunity, and I got it. I’m very happy with how I believed.”

Belgian Zizou Bergs defeated Britain’s Jakob Fearnley 6-1, 6-4 while there were wins for Frenchmen Benjamin Bonzi and Arthur Rinderknech.