Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez teamed up to participate in the doubles event at the 2026 Miami Open. They suffered a heartbreaking first-round defeat against Erin Routliffe and Asia Muhammad after blowing up six match points.
After trading the first two sets 6-3, 3-6, the match entered the tiebreak in the final set. In the tiebreak, the North American pair was up 9-4. After losing two serves, Fernandez made three errors for the match to get to 9-8.
In the end, Williams and Fernandez were defeated in the final set, 13-11.
Fans called out both the stars, especially Leylah Fernandez, who played a major hand in blowing up the match.
“hopefully this was the last time Venus plays with “Leylah Fernandez,” one fan added.
“LEYLAH JUST WASTED 4 MATCH POINTS? 4 MATCH POINTS?? I CANT BELIEVE THIS?” one fan asked.
“three times in a row… that’s gotta hurt,” one fan remarked.
“Leylah, I will never forgive you for this btw…,” one fan added.
“Leylah is really pi**ing me off ….. cause gawd damn nie,” one fan reacted.
“Oh so it was Leylah who lost it, thought it was Venus!?!? Sad still but I was thinking it may be some psychological thing now for Vee!” one fan added.
“Leylah needs a coaching change and a full overhaul of her game,” one fan commented.
“Horrible ending. Can’t believe Fernandez cracked under the close out pressure,” one fan wrote.
Venus Williams Remains Winless in 2026
Venus Williams has not managed to win a game in 2026, neither in singles nor doubles. In singles, Williams lost in her season debut at Auckland, followed by first-round losses in Hobart International, Australian Open, Austin Open, Indian Wells, and now the Miami Open, where she lost 7-5, 7-5, against Francesca Jones.
Meanwhile, in doubles, she lost in Auckland, the Australian Open, and now the Miami Open. The latest Miami Open loss has pushed her to nine consecutive defeats overall. Her last win came in July 2025 at Washington in the Round of 32.
Williams is 45 years old and is appearing on the tour basically on wildcards. Some fans believe that the seven-time Grand Slam champion should retire already to allow opportunities to younger opponents through a wildcard.
Read More News:
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
