TORONTO (AP) 鈥� Kamilla Rakhimova beat Venus Williams 6-4, 6-1 in a rain-delayed match Sunday to kick off the National Bank Open women鈥檚 main draw.
Granted a singles wild-card entry at the WTA 1000 event, the 46-year-old Williams has lost 12 straight matches dating to July 2025.
鈥淲e play outside 鈥� you can鈥檛 control the weather,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淏ut the fans were amazing. They were with me right in every point 鈥� that was fantastic. I was just fighting to put the ball on the court.”
The 24-year-old Rakhimova is from Uzbekistan. She’s ranked 82nd in the world.
鈥淧laying Venus is not an everyday experience,鈥� Rakhimova said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very glad to actually get a chance to play against her. I was looking forward to that match. I knew it was going to be a center-court match. I was trying to enjoy my time on it, no matter what the result.”
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