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Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Venus Williams, 45, turns into oldest girl since Martina Navratilova to win singles match

WASHINGTON — Venus Williams wished to ship a message — to herself and to others — about getting back from an extended layoff, about competing in a sport at age 45, about by no means giving up. Sure, there was one thing particular about simply being again on a tennis court docket Tuesday night time.

There additionally was this: She actually, actually wished to win.

And Williams did simply that, turning into the second-oldest girl to win a tour-level singles match in skilled tennis, delivering a few of her acquainted huge serves and groundstrokes at age 45 whereas beating Peyton Stearns — 22 years her junior — by a 6-3, 6-4 rating on the DC Open.

“Every week that I used to be coaching, I used to be, like, ‘Oh, my God, I don’t know if I’m ok but.’ After which there can be weeks the place I might leap ahead. And there can be two weeks the place I used to be, like, ‘Oh, God, it’s not taking place.’ Even the week main up, (I believed), ‘Oh, my gosh, I want to enhance a lot extra.’ So it’s all a head recreation,” Williams mentioned after her first singles match in additional than a 12 months and first singles victory in practically two.

Navratilova is the one girl older than Williams to win a singles match

The one older girl to win a tour-level singles match was Martina Navratilova, whose final triumph got here at 47 in 2004.

The previous No. 1-ranked Williams had not performed singles in an official match since March 2024 in Miami, lacking time whereas having surgical procedure to take away uterine fibroids.

She hadn’t received in singles since August 2023 in Cincinnati. Till this week, she was listed by the WTA Tour as “inactive.”

“I’m simply continuously praying for good well being, in order that method I might have a possibility to play with good well being,” Williams mentioned. “A number of this for me is with the ability to come again and attempt to play at a degree (and) to play wholesome.”

Venus Williams, 45, waves to the group after beating Peyton Stearns — 22 years her junior — by a 6-3, 6-4 rating on the DC Open on July 22, 2025. Getty Photographs

Venus Williams received 4 Grand Slam titles earlier than Peyton Stearns was born

Backed by a crowd that clearly was there to see, and help, her on the hard-court event within the nation’s capital, Williams confirmed glimpses of the expertise she possesses and the talents she displayed whereas incomes all of her Grand Slam titles: seven in singles, 14 in girls’s doubles — all alongside youthful sister Serena — and two in combined doubles.

“I wished to play a superb match,” Williams instructed the followers, then added a phrase that drew appreciative roars: “and win the match.”

In Tuesday’s second recreation, Williams smacked a return winner to get issues began, then delivered a few different huge responses to interrupt Stearns, a 23-year-old who received singles and workforce NCAA titles on the College of Texas and is at present ranked thirty fifth.

Venus Williams, 45, hits a return shot throughout her victory within the DC Open. Getty Photographs

Within the subsequent recreation, Williams sprinted ahead to achieve a drop shot and replied with a forehand winner.

The primary refrain of cheers arrived when Williams walked out into the primary stadium on the DC Open, a 7,000-seat enviornment that’s greater than twice as massive as the place she was for her doubles victory a day earlier. One other got here when she strode from the sideline to the middle of the court docket for the coin toss. The noise reached a crescendo when Williams started hitting aces — at 110 mph and sooner — the way in which she used to.

Take into accout: Williams received 4 Grand Slam trophies earlier than Stearns was born.

Venus Williams hit huge serves and groundstrokes identical to she at all times did.

Venus Williams, 45, grew to become the second-oldest girls to win a singles match. Getty Photographs

“She performed some ball tonight,” Stearns mentioned. “She was shifting very well, which I wasn’t anticipating an excessive amount of, actually. Her serves have been simply on hearth.”

There additionally have been moments the place Williams — whose fiance was within the stands — regarded as if it had been simply so long as it truly has since she competed, together with within the opening recreation, when she received damaged at love this fashion: forehand huge, forehand into the web, forehand lengthy, backhand lengthy.

On the finish, it took Williams a bit of additional effort to shut issues out.

Venus Williams, 45, hits a forehand throughout her win within the DC Open. Getty Photographs

She saved holding match factors and saved failing to transform them.

However finally, on her sixth probability, Williams powered in a 112 mph serve that Stearns returned into the web.

That was it: Williams smiled huge as could be, raised a fist and jogged to the web to shake fingers, then carried out her customary post-win pirouette-and-wave.

“It’s not straightforward. It received’t be straightforward. It’s not straightforward for anybody out right here,” mentioned Williams, who subsequent faces No. 5 seed Magdalena Frech, who’s 27. “So I do know I’ll should combat for each match. However I’m up for that.”

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