Venus Williams etched her name into the record books once again as she defeated Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4 in the Round of 32 at the Washington Open. At 45 years and 34 days, the American icon became the second-oldest player ever to win a WTA tour-level singles match, trailing only Martina Navratilova, who achieved the feat in 2004 at 45 years and 242 days.
What made the win even more remarkable was the 22-year age gap between Williams and Stearns – Williams had already clinched four Grand Slam titles before her opponent was even born. The victory also marked Williams’ first singles win since the 2023 Cincinnati Masters, following a long layoff due to surgery for uterine fibroids. Her last singles appearance had been at the Miami Open in March 2024.
Returning to the court, Williams looked sharp, delivering punishing groundstrokes and commanding serves. Reflecting on her journey back to competition during the post-match interview, she stated, “Each week that I was training, I was, like, ‘Oh, my God, I don’t know if I’m good enough yet.’ Even the week leading up, (I thought), ‘Oh, my gosh, I need to improve so much more.’ So it’s all a head game.”
Williams also emphasised the importance of her health, saying, “A lot of this for me is being able to come back and try to play at a level (and) to play healthy.” Just a day earlier, she made a successful comeback in doubles alongside fellow American Hailey Baptiste. The pair cruised past Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue 6-3, 6-1 in the Round of 16.
Next up, Williams faces fifth seed and World No. 24 Magdalena Frech in the singles Round of 16—a significant challenge, but one she’s poised to meet with trademark resilience.
