In a remarkable display of resilience and timeless talent, Venus Williams became the second-oldest woman in professional tennis history to win a tour-level singles match, defeating Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4 at the DC Open on Tuesday night.
At 45, Williams delivered a vintage performance filled with powerful serves and aggressive groundstrokes, triumphing over an opponent 22 years her junior. Her victory marks her first in singles since August 2023 in Cincinnati, and her first competitive singles match since March 2024 in Miami, where she later underwent surgery to remove uterine fibroids.
The only player older than Williams to win a WTA singles match is Martina Navratilova, who accomplished the feat at age 47 in 2004.
Listed as “inactive” by the WTA until this week, Williams returned to the court backed by a passionate Washington crowd. She reminded everyone of her seven Grand Slam singles titles, 14 women’s doubles titles alongside sister Serena, and two mixed doubles titles.
The crowd roared as Williams stepped onto the 7,000-seat main stadium, more than double the size of the court where she had won her doubles match the previous day. The applause grew louder when she took part in the coin toss, and reached a crescendo when she fired aces above 110 mph, flashes of the dominant form that once made her world No. 1.
While the rust was evident, she was broken at love in the opening game, Williams quickly settled in. In the second game, she cracked a return winner to start a break of serve, then surged to a 4-2 lead before taking the first set. She chased down drop shots, hit fearless returns, and leaned on her experience when the pressure mounted late in the match.
Closing out the win wasn’t straightforward. Williams squandered multiple match points before finally sealing victory with a 112 mph serve that Stearns could only send into the net. Beaming, Williams jogged to the net, shook hands, and treated fans to her signature post-win pirouette and wave.
She now advances to face fifth seed Magdalena Frech of Poland, aged 27, in the second round.
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, former US Open champion Emma Raducanu saw off seventh seed Marta Kostyuk 7-6 (4), 6-4, extending the Ukrainian’s losing streak to six matches. Raducanu will next face four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka, who dispatched Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 7-5.
In men’s action, upsets marked the day as Britain’s Cam Norrie defeated second seed Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, while third seed Holger Rune withdrew due to a back injury. Fourth seed Ben Shelton progressed with a confident 6-3, 6-4 win over Mackie McDonald.
