Anastasia Potapova defeated Venus Williams 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the Mubadala DC Open on Tuesday night.
Potapova advanced to the second round of the WTA 500 tournament at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center.
The match took place under the lights. Potapova took control after the early stages. She raised her level and won in straight sets.
Williams is 46 years old. She entered the match with an 0-8 singles record for the 2026 season. The loss left her at 0-9 in singles this year. Her last singles victory came one year earlier.
Williams received strong support from the crowd in Washington. She competed against Potapova in what was their first meeting on the WTA Tour.
Potapova secured her first win at the DC Open with the result. She moves on in the singles draw.
Williams remains in the doubles competition. She partnered with Diana Shnaider and reached the quarterfinals. The pair is scheduled to play their next doubles match.
The Mubadala DC Open continues this week in Washington. The event is part of the hard court season leading into the later stages of the year.
Williams has competed in multiple events in 2026 with wild cards. She has focused on both singles and doubles. Potapova continues her campaign in the main draw.
The result concluded Williams singles run at the tournament while allowing Potapova to progress.