Venus Williams and her Indonesian partner Janice Tjen advanced to the doubles semifinals at the WTA 250 tournament in Guangzhou on Wednesday, defeating Lyudmyla Kichenok and Makoto Ninomiya 6-1 6-3. The victory in China marks a significant milestone for the 46-year-old American, securing her first semifinal appearance in any WTA-level draw since 2018.
Dominant Turnaround in the Quarterfinals
The quarterfinal match at the Guangzhou tournament saw Williams and Tjen seize momentum immediately after dropping the opening game. The pair swept six consecutive games to comfortably claim the first set. Although Kichenok and Ninomiya claimed an early break in the second set to pull ahead 3-1, the American-Indonesian duo responded by stringing together five consecutive games to close out the match in straight sets.
Venus Williams and Janice Tjen just quickly reached the doubles semifinals in Guangzhou.That’s Williams’ first semifinal (singles or doubles) since 2018 and her first doubles semifinal since the Rio Olympics (Mixed) in 2016! It would be cool to see her play a final at 46 pic.twitter.com/Y7IuZ7CZvq
This run puts Williams into her first doubles semifinal since the Rio Olympics (Mixed) in 2016, as tennisworldusa.org reported. In the upcoming semifinal round scheduled for Thursday, Williams and Tjen will face the winner of the match between Polina Kudermetova and Maria Timofeeva versus Eri Hozumi and Andreja Klepac.
The Contrast of Singles Struggles
The doubles success in Guangzhou follows a tough opening round in the singles draw. On Tuesday, 20-year-old Austrian rising star Lilli Tagger handed Williams a 6-2 6-2 defeat. That result marked Williams’ 16th consecutive loss in singles competition and her 13th defeat of the 2026 season.
Addressing questions regarding her playing future after the singles loss, Williams offered a clear perspective on her ongoing career and physical health. Long-term management of Sjögren’s syndrome and fibroids forced extended absences from the sport in previous years.
“Well, obviously, 0–16 isn’t ideal. I’m a competitor. I’ve been a competitor my entire life, and nobody likes losing, certainly not me. But I think sometimes people look at results and forget that there’s a much bigger picture.”
“So now, to be in a position where I can play relatively pain-free, where I can travel, practice, compete and enjoy being out there, that’s something I don’t take for granted. Maybe other people don’t understand that, but I do.”
