Venus Williams has become the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match in professional tennis and the oldest in 21 years.
The 45-year-old delivered some of her familiar big serves and groundstrokes while beating compatriot Peyton Stearns — 22 years her junior — by a 6-3, 6-4 score at the DC Open.
This was the first singles victory for Williams in nearly two years. The only older woman to win a match was Martina Navratilova at 47 in 2004.
"It is not easy to [come back] after all that time and play the perfect match," Williams said.
The former world number one had not played singles in an official match since March 2024 in Miami, missing time while having surgery to remove uterine fibroids.
She had not won in singles since August 2023 in Cincinnati. Until this week, she was listed by the WTA Tour as "inactive" and she does not have a ranking.
Williams said she found out she had been placed on COBRA benefits, a government scheme that allows people to keep limited health insurance after a change in eligibility.
"I had to come back for the insurance because they informed earlier this year I'm on COBRA," she said courtside.
"So I was like, 'I've got to get my benefits,' [and] started training.
"You guys know what it's like and let me tell you, I'm always at the doctor so I need this insurance."
Backed by a supportive crowd at the hard-court tournament in the US capital, Williams showed glimpses of the talent and the skills she displayed while earning all of her grand slam titles: seven in singles, 14 in women's doubles — all alongside younger sister Serena — and two in mixed doubles.
In the second game against 35th-ranked Stearns, Williams smacked a return winner to get things started, then delivered a couple of other big responses to break serve.
In the next game, Williams sprinted forward to reach a drop shot and replied with a winner. Soon, she led 4-2, then was closing that set.
She also slammed down nine aces, including many over 177 kilometres per hour.
She advanced to a second-round match-up against number five seed Magdalena Frech of Poland.
Williams also won in the doubles alongside fellow American Hailey Baptiste. They next face Australian Open champions Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai.
Reuters/ABC
