Venus Williams vs. Sofia Kenin Prediction, Pick for the US Open – Sunday, August 30

In tonight’s nightcap, Venus Williams will face fellow American Sofia Kenin on Arthur Ashe Stadium. While both players have struggled in 2026, this is a matchup between Grand Slam champions that should still attract a big crowd.   

Below, we’ll break down our Venus Williams vs. Sofia Kenin prediction, including recent form, match analysis, and a PrizePicks pick. The match is slated to start at approximately 8:40 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Make your US Open predictions on PrizePicks for Sunday’s match now!

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Venus Williams vs. Sofia Kenin Prediction, Favorite for the US Open First Round

Below are the payouts for who will win Sunday’s Williams vs. Kenin match, via PrizePicks Team Picks. 

Tennis on PrizePicks got its biggest upgrade yet just in time for the US Open. Users can now combine a player to win outright with Player Picks, including aces, total games won, and more! Click here for more information.

On PrizePicks Team Picks, a 2x payout represents a return of $200 on a $100 entry (or $20 on $10). A lower payout multiplier signals a higher implied probability of that result based on user picks.

Payouts are live at the time of writing and are subject to change. Tennis winner markets are available in 36 states.

Venus Williams vs. Sofia Kenin US Open Prediction – Sunday, August 30

Match Winner Payouts: Williams 5.88x | Kenin 1.11x
Tournament Round: First Round
2026 Record Entering the US Open: Williams 0-11 | Kenin 6-20
Head-to-Head Record: First Career Meeting
Scheduled Time: 8:40 p.m. ET
How to Watch: ESPN

As a seven-time Grand Slam champion who also happens to have a rather famous sister, Venus Williams still creates a buzz when she takes the court. However, at 46 years old, her prime is well in the rearview mirror, as she’s winless across 11 matches in 2026. 

In fact, she enters this match riding a 14-match losing streak, with her last victory coming against Peyton Stearns in Washington last summer.

Going back to 2020, Williams has posted an 8-44 record. Over that span, she’s lost in the first round of the US Open all four times she’s competed. Williams is now the world No. 611, and she hasn’t been ranked inside the top 100 since 2021.  

If there’s any good news for Williams, it’s that her opponent hasn’t exactly set the world on fire this year, either.

Sofia Kenin won the 2020 Australian Open and finished runner-up at the French Open that same year, but her career has failed to come close to those heights ever since. 

This has been a particularly trying campaign for Kenin, as she’s just 6-20 in 2026 and has endured multiple lengthy losing streaks. She began the year as the world No. 28 but now sits outside the top 100.

Still, she's been better than Williams on both serve and return than this year. Kenin has won 56.7% of her service points and 38.2% of her return points, compared to 54.0% and 36.2%, respectively, for Williams.

Kenin won only one of three hard-court matches in her tune-up events, though she did push world No. 11 Marta Kostyuk to three sets in her most recent defeat. Williams lost all three of her summer hard-court matches in straight sets.

Ultimately, Kenin’s form this year leaves a lot to be desired, but she’s still won some matches, which is more than Williams can say. Per Tennis Abstract’s Elo ratings, Kenin is showing a 59.6% chance of victory.

Make your Williams vs. Kenin US Open prediction on PrizePicks now!

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Venus Williams vs. Sofia Kenin for the US Open on Sunday

Williams vs. Kenin Pick – 19.5 Total Games

Even in victory, Kenin often needed three sets or a tiebreak to get through. Kenin’s six wins this season have totaled 29, 20, 23, 20, 23, and 25 games.

Although Williams is winless on hard courts this year (0-9), Kenin hasn’t been much better, losing 10 of her 12 matches on the surface.

Nine of Kenin’s 12 hard-court matches have gone to a third set or featured a tiebreak.

Williams' 11 losses this year haven't all been blowouts, as she's forced a deciding set four times.

Pick Kenin to win + total games on PrizePicks for higher payouts!

Make Your US Open Predictions Today on PrizePicks

While Venus Williams’ best days are behind her, she’s a legend of the sport who will draw a packed house tonight. Can she turn back the clock and pull off the upset against Sofia Kenin?

Don’t wait until Sunday’s matches start—make your US Open predictions on PrizePicks now.

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Pick your players, predict More or Less on their stats like games won or aces, or make match winner predictions with Team Picks, available in 36 states!

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