VENUS WILLIAMS SUFFERS 16TH DEFEAT IN A ROW WITH LOSS TO TEENAGER

Venus Williams suffered her 16th consecutive singles defeat on Tuesday, losing to Austrian teenager Lilli Tagger at the Guangzhou Open in China.

The 46-year-old American was beaten 6-2, 6-2 by Tagger, who is 28 years younger than her.

Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion and former world number one, has not won a WTA Tour singles match since July last year. She is currently ranked 599th.

Her previous appearance came at the US Open, where she lost in straight sets to Sofia Kenin in the first round.

Despite her singles exit in Guangzhou, Williams remains in the doubles competition. She and Indonesian partner Janice Tjen won their opening match on Monday and are scheduled to play again on Wednesday.

Tagger, ranked 53rd, will face Poland’s Magda Linette in the next round.