Kenin outlasts Venus Williams in a nail-biting tiebreak: A win built on composure, and a warning

Venus Williams just turned 46, but on the Louis Armstrong court that night, she still forced former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin to face four set points in the second-set tiebreak alone. When the final ball landed in the net, the score read 6-3, 7-6(9-7) in Kenin's favor. This was not a commanding win; it was a tense drama in which age and old-time class tested the nerve of a former champion. Kenin, 27, has been inconsistent for years. Venus, 46, seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, entered the US Open unseeded on a wild card. Both have struggled on court this year. So this first-round match was a real test of who could still compete at the highest level. Kenin won the first set 6-3, but the second set exposed her fragility. She led 4-2 before Venus raised her level, broke back and pushed the match into a tiebreak. There, Venus saved four set points. At 8-7 in the tiebreak, Venus made an error, and Kenin closed out her first match point after 1 hour and 48 minutes. This victory was not built on dominance. It was built on surviving key moments. But the warning is clear: Kenin nearly wasted a 4-2 lead against a 46-year-old. Next up is No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula, a far tougher test. If Kenin repeats her second-set performance, her US Open will end soon. Venus may have lost, but she proved her fighting spirit remains intact. For Vietnamese fans, this match is a reminder that tennis at the highest level is decided by composure in crucial moments, not just talent.