Venus Williams Set to Begin 33rd Consecutive WTA Season at ASB Classic

Venus Williams plans to open her 33rd straight season on the WTA Tour at the ASB Classic in January. Organizers said Wednesday that the 45-year-old would feature at their Jan. 5-11 event.

The announcement positions Williams for a run toward the Australian Open later that month. She is a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion and has twice lost in the final of the Australian Open.

Williams first entered the pro circuit with a tournament debut in 1994 in Oakland, California. According to the tour, she has appeared in at least two WTA events in every season since her debut, a run that will reach a 33rd consecutive year if she competes in Auckland.

Her most recent singles appearance came at the US Open in August, where she lost in three sets to 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova in the first round. The ASB Classic entry suggests she intends to begin her 2026 campaign early in the season and continue preparing through the lead-up to the Australian Open.

Organizers and the tour have noted the continuity of Williams’s career, emphasizing the span of seasons she has maintained on the professional circuit. Entry at the Jan. 5-11 ASB Classic would mark another chapter in a long professional tenure that began in Oakland and has included regular participation across WTA events each year.