Venus Williams’ difficult run in singles tennis continued on Monday as the former world number one suffered her 17th consecutive defeat at the Hong Kong Open.

The 46-year-old American was beaten 6-2, 6-3 by compatriot Mary Stoiana, who is roughly half her age, in the tournament’s opening round.

Williams, currently ranked 597th in the world, struggled during the first set and let out a cry before stumbling while chasing a return. Although she managed to stay on her feet, she was unable to prevent Stoiana from taking a 5-2 lead before closing out the set.

Stoiana, ranked 113th, had to contend with a crowd largely supporting her more experienced opponent. However, the American remained composed in the second set to secure victory and send Williams out of the competition.

The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion has not recorded a singles victory on the WTA Tour since July 2025, leaving her losing streak at 17 matches.

Williams’ latest defeat follows another straight-sets loss at the Guangzhou Open last week, where she was beaten by Austrian teenager Lilli Tagger.

Before that, the American last competed in the US Open in August and September, suffering a first-round exit against Sofia Kenin without taking a set.

Despite her struggles in singles, Williams enjoyed a stronger run in the doubles competition at Guangzhou, reaching the semi-finals alongside Indonesia’s Janice Tjen.

She is also scheduled to compete in the doubles event in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, 23-year-old Stoiana will face either tournament top seed Sorana Cirstea of Romania or Russian-born Uzbekistani player Maria Timofeeva in the last 16.