Venus Williams plays Sofia Kenin in US Open first round

Venus Williams of the United States reacts in a practice session during Fan Week at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 25, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP 

MANILA, Philippines–The U.S. Open draws for men’s and women’s singles Thursday delivered one what-could-have-been possibility: Had Serena Williams decided to play, there could have been a Williams sisters showdown in Round 1.

When Venus Williams was given a wild card into the event at 46, the U.S. Tennis Association initially held one spot, which surely would have gone to Serena if the six-time U.S. Open champion wanted to play after returning to tennis for the first time since 2022. When the 44-year-old decided to only compete in doubles, the USTA awarded that last wild card over the weekend to American Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion.

On Thursday, Venus Williams and Kenin were randomly drawn to face each other.

Main draw play at the final Grand Slam tournament of the season begins Sunday.

Two-time defending women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka opens against Camila Osorio. The top-ranked Sabalenka, who has struggled during the North American hard-court season, could face Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, the No. 6 seed, in the quarterfinals.

The other potential women’s quarterfinals: No. 2 Elena Rybakina vs. No. 8 Iga Swiatek, No. 3 Jessica Pegula vs. No. 7 Karolina Muchova, and No. 4 Coco Gauff vs. No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, the French Open champion.

Pegula, who opens against Elena-Gabriela Ruse, would play the Williams-Kenin winner in the second round.

Some first-round matches won’t be determined until the conclusion of the qualifying tournaments, which were scheduled to finish Thursday. Potential women’s contenders such as No. 11 Marta Kostyuk and No. 17 Alex Eala were among those waiting to see who they would face in their openers.