By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open Facebook
Midway through the second set, Venus Williams shrunk the generation gap.
The 45-year-old Williams carved out a half-volley inciting a nose-to-nose net exchange vs. Kaitlin Quevedo.
The 20-year-old Quevedo covered the angles and pushed a backhand pass down the line.
That net duel summed up Quevedo’s 6-2, 6-4 Mutua Madrid Open open-rounding win over seven-time Grand Slam champion Williams.
Though the four-time Olympic gold-medal champion made forward strides, the Madrid debutant Quevedo was often a step faster and one shot sharper.
Playing just the third Tour-level main draw of her career, Quevedo spread the court with her heavy topspin forehand and rallied from a 0-3 deficit in the second set winning six of the final seven games.
“It has been incredible, I had many new experiences this year, I am very grateful and happy, looking forward to seeing what is to come,” said Quevedo afterward.
Despite showing flashes of her shotmaking skills, Williams dropped to 0-7 this season—and suffered her 10th consecutive singles defeat since she beat Peyton Stearns, 6-3, 6-4, in her Washington, DC return last July.
“I mean, I think she played well, like really well, she was super focused and what have you,” Williams said.
“I don’t think I just ever really found my rhythm on the ground strokes.
“The conditions weren’t easy for both of us, so much wind and rain and interruptions in the match. I don’t think that was helpful.”
The opening game set the tone for the struggle to come. Williams toiled for more than 13 minutes on serve saving three break points.
Struggling to find net clearance, the former No. 1 slapped a forehand into net and faced a fourth break point.
Quevedo cracked a clean backhand winner down the line breaking to open after that 13-minute plus game.
Sliding an ace down the T helped Quevedo back up the break at 30 for 2-0.
Twenty-two minutes into the match, Quevedo earned two more break points. Williams saved the first.
On the second, the Spaniard showed the confounding spin and creative ambition on her forehand. Spreading the court with a forehand return down the line, Quevedo crunched a diagonal forehand strike scoring her second break for 3-0.
As friend and sometime mixed doubles partner Reilly Opelka watched on from the support box, Williams picked up her play, hammered her backhand with depth and broke back in the fourth game.
The 20-year-old Spaniard saved a break point in the sixth game. Quevedo hits with more height over the net and was using her heavy topspin as bricks patiently building a wall to prevent the former No. 1 from piercing the baseline.
A backhand winner down the line gave Quevedo game point and she buried the body serve into Williams’ hip, holding for 5-1 after 40 minutes.
The owner of nine career clay-court tiles, Williams dug in and banged her way through a tricky game stamping her first hold of the day for 2-5.
Quevedo came back from 15-30 down to serve out the 51-minute opening set.
Throughout this season, Williams has often bounced back from first sets with stronger second sets.
Today, Williams was driving the ball deeper as she broke at 15 in the second game then confirmed the break for a 3-0 second-set lead.
Dancing around her backhand to fire her forehand with more aggression, Quevedo ripped a forehand winner down the line that helped her break at love for 2-3.
The set was even, 3-all, when a passing rain shower prompted about a 12-minute delay to close the retractable roof over the court.
When play resumed, Quevedo applied pressure. The Spaniard won that four-shot net exchange for a third break point. Williams netted a forehand to cede serve as Quevedo ran off five straight games for a 5-3 lead.
Raking a forehand winner into the corner put Quevedo up 30-5 and she rattled out a pair of forehand errors to close in one hour, 43 minutes.
It was a solid effort, though not a prelude to a Rome return, Williams said in her post-match presser.
“Yeah, I mean, to get my feet dirty, this was a great start,” Williams said. “I’m not able to play Rome, I have other commitments, unfortunately, so I’m really super sad about that, actually.
“My husband is Italian, so we feel sad that we can’t be there. So we would love to keep it going on the clay.”