LONDON — Dutch tennis player Arantxa Rus lost her 17th consecutive main-draw, tour-level match Tuesday at Wimbledon, equaling the longest WTA losing streak on record.
The 156th-ranked Rus was beaten 6-4, 6-2 by Russia's Olga Puchkova in the first round on Court 9 at the All England Club.
Rus' last victory in a tour-level match came last year on Aug. 19, when she defeated Romina Oprandi 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of a hard-court tournament at Grapevine, Texas. Two days later, Rus lost to Jelena Jankovic 7-6 (5), 6-2.
And so began what now is tied with the longest known losing streak in tour history. According to the WTA, Sandy Collins of the U.S. lost 17 matches in a row from 1984-87.
