Venus Williams is a winner on the WTA Tour as soon as once more.
After a 16-month hiatus, the 45-year-old accepted a wildcard for the Citi Open in Washington DC, and returned to the court docket for an all-American first-round showdown.
Venus Williams stormed previous World No. 35 Peyton Stearns on Tuesday evening, profitable 6-3, 6-4 in only one hour and 37 minutes.
At 45-years previous, she has turn out to be the oldest participant to win a tour-level singles match since then-47-year-old Martina Navratilova beat Catalina Castano at Wimbledon in 2004 — over twenty years in the past.
“My queen,” four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka posted on social media, together with a crown and tearful face emojis and 5 hearts.
Williams additionally made her doubles return earlier this week, teaming up with Hailey Baptiste to defeat the pairing of Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue.
After that match, the previous World No. 1 aimed a cheeky dig at sister Serena Williams, by joking she loved enjoying with Baptiste greater than her youthful sibling.
Venus was in good kind once more after her singles victory, and defined that she has returned to tennis to ‘get her advantages on’.
“I needed to come again for the insurance coverage,” the US star mentioned.
“They knowledgeable me this 12 months that I’m on COBRA. So it’s like, I’ve obtained to get my advantages on — and I began coaching.”
As she chuckled away with the gang, the post-match interviewer admitted that ‘insurance coverage is difficult’, which led to a different revelation from Williams.
She added: “Let me inform you, I am at all times on the physician, so I want this insurance coverage.”
In addition to joking that she has returned for the on-tour advantages, Williams additionally described her singles comeback as a ‘stunning evening’ in DC.
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“You recognize, it is step one, and the primary match is at all times extraordinarily troublesome,” she mentioned.
“It is laborious to explain how troublesome it’s to play a primary match after a lot time without work.
“So going into the match, I do know I’ve the flexibility to win, however it’s all about truly profitable.
“So that is the perfect end result, to play a great match and win.
“I am right here with my buddies, household, folks I really like, and the followers, too, who I really like they usually love me, so this has been only a stunning evening.”
In opposition to Stearns — who’s 22 years her junior — Williams was already the oldest participant to contest a tour-level singles match since then-46 year-old Kimiko Date misplaced her first-round match at Tokyo in 2017.
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Because of her victory, the returning American will now get the prospect to contest at the least yet one more, and is ready to face Poland’s Magdalena Frech within the Spherical of 16.
Why did Venus Williams cease enjoying tennis?
Earlier than her win on Tuesday, the previous No. 1-ranked Williams had not performed an official singles match since March 2024 in Miami.
She had lately opened up about well being struggles that saved her off the court docket, together with surgical procedure final 12 months to take away fibroids — painful however benign tumors that develop within the wall of the uterus.
“My well being journey was very scary,” Williams mentioned.
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“You recognize, this time a 12 months in the past I used to be getting ready to go to surgical procedure.
“There was no method for me to play tennis or play the US Open. I used to be simply attempting to get wholesome.”
Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, has beforehand declined wildcard entries, however felt as much as the problem this 12 months.
“More often than not I do not (take up the provide to play as a wildcard),” she mentioned final weekend.
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“However this time I had been hitting the ball. And naturally I really like the sport and the laborious courts, it is my favorite floor, what I really feel snug on. So all these various factors.”
How did Williams play in her singles comeback?
In opposition to Stearns, Williams was made to work laborious.
She dropped serve at love within the first sport of the match, earlier than she cranked her returns up and instantly obtained the break again.
The veteran continued to press Stearns into errors earlier than she collected the opening set.
Within the second, the 23-year-old American went on a 10-point run that noticed her take a 3-1 lead, however as soon as once more, Williams struck again.
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With some large performs of her personal, Venus reeled off the following 4 video games to steer 5-3.
She then had 4 match factors within the sport that adopted, however Stearns pulled it again to 5-4 earlier than organising a break level of her personal.
Williams survived as soon as extra, avoiding that hazard — and a booming serve noticed her shut out an enormous 6-3, 6-4 victory.
“I feel it was a giant win for me at this time,” the legend mentioned post-game.
“Like I mentioned, it isn’t simple. It will not be simple. It is not simple for anybody out right here.
“So I do know I will need to battle for each match, however I am up for that.”