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Venus Williams Triumphs in Historic Singles Return at DC Open

The 45-year-old is the oldest WTA player to win a match since 2004.
Megha Gupta|
Venus Williams defeated Peyton Stearns in Washington, DC.
Venus Williams defeated Peyton Stearns in Washington, DC. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The tennis world has been waiting for this one.

Venus Williams made a winning return to the WTA singles tour after a one-year hiatus. The 45-year-old defeated Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the DC Citi Open to become the oldest WTA player to win a match after 47-year-old Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 2004.

Williams has not won a singles match in nearly two years. Her last match win came at the 2023 Cincinnati Open when she defeated 16th seed Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets.

The former World No. 1 also won her doubles match on Monday with partner Hailey Baptiste, her first match back on court since the 2024 Miami Open.

"It's so rewarding to come back after layoff and injuries," Williams said during her on-court interview. "I'm back here because of encouragement from my team, and they wanted me to come on back and play again.

Last night's match win was like stepping into a time machine. Williams looked refreshed after her doubles win, stepping onto court on Tuesday in an all-black kit featuring a turtleneck short-sleeved shirt and a sheer tennis skirt.

She played like she had nothing to lose, moving across the court like she did when she was 25 years old and meeting Stearns ball for ball.

Williams had very little trouble in her service games, serving up nine aces and just four double faults while making 64% of her first serves. Stearns, on the other hand, struggled to hold onto her serve, with Williams winning six of her 14 break points.

Williams missed her chance to close out the match after losing four break points and tossing Stearns a lifeline. The 23-year-old quickly capitalized upon her game win by saving a fifth match point and forcing a break point at 5-4.

She quickly gave that opportunity away; however, after a backhand into the net, Williams was granted a sixth match point. Williams followed through with a powerful serve, closing out the match in straight sets.

"This was just the first step, but I must admit that the first match is always extremely challenging," Williams said. "It's hard to explain to people how tough it can be to play your first match after such a long break."

The elder Williams sister faced relentless media scrutiny in the latter half of her career, with one question always at the forefront: when will the seven-time Grand Slam champ retire? Clearly not anytime soon. Williams made it clear that she's playing for herself rather than to prove a point.

"I'm not here to prove anything to anyone; if I've returned, it's solely for myself, so I have nothing to prove," Williams said. "I'm here for me because I want to be here. Wanting to prove something, or making someone see that they're wrong, never gave me a victory in my career, nor a defeat.

Williams faces fifth seed Magdalena Fręch in the second round later today. The DC Open runs from July 21 to July 27, 2025. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Serve On SI for all your tennis news from the tennis court and beyond.

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Megha Gupta
MEGHA GUPTA

Megha Gupta is a multimedia journalist studying at Columbia University. She has a passion for exploring the intersections of fashion, culture, and sports, and previously covered the 2024 Paris Olympics at NBC Sports.

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