Venus Williams Falls in Cincinnati to Bouzas Maneiro
American tennis player Venus Williams, who returned to competition last month after a period of inactivity, was defeated by Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the first round of the Cincinnati Open. The match, which ended with a score of 6-4 and 6-4 in favor of Bouzas Maneiro, marked the end of Williams’ participation in this tournament. The next challenge for the seven-time Grand Slam champion will be the US Open, where she will participate in mixed doubles alongside Reilly Opelka starting August 19, thanks to a special invitation. Williams, with an extensive doubles record, including 14 Grand Slam titles alongside her sister Serena and two more in mixed doubles, will seek to make her mark on this tournament.Bouzas Maneiro, ranked 51st, managed to advance to her first quarter-final round of a WTA 1000 last week in Montreal.Coming out of this match, I feel incredible. That means that in this next period [before the US Open] I won’t have to fix injuries. Now I can work on power and speed instead of trying to make sure I’m not injured before the tournament.
Venus Williams
Despite the public’s support, Williams struggled with her serve and failed to overcome the Spanish tennis player.She is a legend. This was a privilege. I tried to give my best on the court and enjoy every moment. It’s an honor to play against her. She is an inspiration for young players.
Jessica Bouzas Maneiro
Williams, who is recovering from surgery, became the oldest woman to win a WTA match in more than two decades by defeating Peyton Stearns at the DC Open last month. This was his first tournament in 16 months and his first victory since the 2023 Cincinnati Open.She played super well. Clearly, she has a great future ahead. I was trying to figure things out as quickly as I could and ran out of time. Going into this match, I felt good.
Venus Williams
This was Williams’ eleventh appearance at the Cincinnati Open, where she reached the semifinals in 2012 and the quarterfinals in 2019. In addition, she has been number 1 in the world for 11 weeks.I think there were times when I was working on the problems, but I think there was never a time when I wasn’t trying. I definitely see a lot of positives for today, and I think just by coming back, not everything is going to be perfect, but a lot of great things today.
Venus Williams
I had a lot of fun out there. There were times when I had a lot of opportunities and there were times when I was working on the problems. But there was never a time when I didn’t try.
Venus Williams
