Ranked 479th in the world, Williams has now lost all seven matches she has played this season.  | Photo Credit: Reuters

Venus Williams was knocked out of the Madrid Open on Tuesday as the 45-year-old went down in straight sets to Kaitlin Quevedo.

The 20-year-old Spanish wild card beat the seven-time Grand Slam champion 6-2, 6-4 in just under one hour and 45 minutes on court.

Ranked 479th in the world, Williams has now lost all seven matches she has played this season. It was her first match on clay since Roland Garros five years ago.

ALSO READ | Alcaraz may skip Roland Garros rather than rush injury comeback

Every game was closely contested in a first set marked by numerous unforced errors due to the wind blowing across the Estadio Manolo Santana but the world number 140, playing in her first 1000-level event, was the more consistent of the two.

Williams got off to a better start in the second set, taking a 3-0 lead, before Quevedo began to fight back and the match was then interrupted by rain while the roof over the centre court was closed.

Quevedo won five consecutive games to seal her passage to the second round.

Earlier, former world number two Paula Badosa lost 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-0 to Julia Grabher as the Spaniard exited her hometown event at the round-of-128 stage.

Beatriz Haddad Maia, a 2023 Roland Garros semi-finalist, went out 6-1, 6-1 to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

Later, 2025 Roland Garros sensation Lois Boisson makes her return to action when she takes on Peyton Stearns for a spot in the second round, where top seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka awaits.

Venus hopes to play French Open

Venus said that she hopes to play this year’s French Open. The seven-times Grand Slam ⁠singles champion will need a wild card to feature at Roland Garros.

“Yeah, I mean, to get my ​feet dirty, this ‌was a great start,” Williams, 45, told reporters.

“I’m not able to play Rome, I have other commitments, unfortunately, so I’m ‌really super sad about that, actually. My ​husband is Italian, so we feel sad that we can’t be ⁠there. So we would love to keep it going on the clay.”

Williams’ last match ‌on clay before Madrid was at the French Open in 2021 and she said she was happy with how she performed.

Published on Apr 22, 2026