Venus Williams falls to Kamilla Rakhimova in rain-delayed first round at NBO

TORONTO — Venus Williams endured a rain delay at the National Bank Open.

The seven-time Grand Slam winner then battled hard early before bowing out late.

Kamilla Rakhimova defeated Williams 6-4, 6-1 to kick off the women’s main draw Sunday on centre court at Sobeys Stadium.

The 46-year-old Williams, who was granted a singles wild-card entry at the WTA 1000 event, has now lost her last 12 matches dating back to July 2025.

Rakhimova fought off a break point down 4-3 in the first set and then broke Williams to go up 5-4 before the 24-year-old from Uzbekistan held serve.

Ranked No. 82 in the world, Rakhimova broke Williams again to open the second set and earned two more breaks in coasting to victory in the players’ first-ever matchup in one hour 27 minutes.

Making her 13th appearance in Canada, the 664th-ranked Williams put up her best showing at the country’s annual showcase in 2014 when she defeated younger sister Serena to reach the final.

Heavy rain pelted the venue on the York University campus in Toronto earlier Sunday, pushing a scheduled late-morning start into the afternoon.

Fellow wild card Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont., who became the first Canadian in 50 years to win the tournament in 2019, was slated to meet Czechia’s Nikola Bartunkova in evening play.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus opens her tournament Tuesday following a first-round bye.

Leylah Fernandez of Laval, Que., is the top-seeded Canadian at No. 30. Her tournament is set to begin Wednesday after also getting a bye.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 2, 2026.