Washington
Tennis legend Venus Williams made history on Wednesday by winning her first singles match in 16 months. At 45, she defeated World No. 35 Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4 in the DC Open first round, becoming the second-oldest woman ever to win a tour-level singles match.
The only player older to do so was Martina Navratilova, who won at age 47 in 2004. Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, also holds the record as the oldest player to compete in a tour-level singles match since 46-year-old Kimiko Date in 2017.
After the win, Venus expressed joy, saying, “It’s always tough to play the first match after a long break. But I knew I could win, and doing it in front of my loved ones and the fans made it special.”
This was Venus’s first singles victory since her 2023 win over then-World No. 16 Veronika Kudermetova. That means her last two victories have come against top-35 players nearly two years apart.
She will now face World No. 24 Magdalena Frech of Poland in the second round, their first career meeting. Frech had earlier defeated qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva 6-2, 6-4.
Venus also returned to doubles action on Tuesday, pairing with Hailey Baptiste to defeat Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue. It marked her first professional tennis match since her break from the sport.
Venus’s remarkable comeback is being hailed as a strong statement of perseverance and love for the game, inspiring fans worldwide and adding another milestone to her long and storied career.
