After having knee surgery in October, Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios lost his first singles match. The 28-year-old Aussie was defeated in the opening round of the Stuttgart Open in Germany by Wu Yibing of China 7-5, 6-3. After undergoing surgery to repair a slight tear in his left lateral meniscus in January, Kyrgios hasn’t played this season.
Venus Williams of the United States was defeated by Celine Naef in the Libema Open in the Netherlands, capping off her return to grass-court competition. The Naef, who is 17 years old and 25 years younger than the former world number one, was defeated 3-6 7-6 (6-3) 6-2.
Williams, who was given a wildcard for the tournament, got off to a strong start to win the opening set while her sister Serena looked on from the audience. Naef won the second set after a hard-fought tie-break, and she then breezed through the third.
Williams was competing for the first time since the Auckland Open in January, where she advanced to the round of 16 but lost to China’s Zhu Lin. Williams has won the US Open twice and five times at Wimbledon among her seven Grand Slam singles victories.
Nick Kyrgios in 2023
Ranked no.25, Kyrgios played his last match on the 13th of June when he was overcome by world no.64 Yibing Wu 7-5 6-3 in the 1st round in Stuttgart (draw).
Currently, during this season Kyrgios has managed to achieve a 0-1 match record.
Kyrgios will compete next in Halle (Terra Wortmann Open). He will start from the main draw that will commence on the 19th of June.
Venus Williams in 2023
Ranked no.696, Venus Williams played her last match on the 13th of June when she lost to world no.202 Celine Naef 3-6 7-6(3) 6-2 in the 1st round in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (draw).
This year Venus has managed to achieve a composed 1-2 record.