At 45, Venus Williams Wins Her First Round in Washington Against Stearns
In recent days, the organizers of the Washington tournament announced granting a wild card to 45-year-old Venus Williams. The American had not played a match on the WTA tour since Miami 2024, where she lost to Diana Shnaider.
On a streak of four consecutive losses before arriving in the U.S. capital, Williams faced Peyton Stearns, world No. 35 and a semifinalist at the Rome tournament earlier in the season.
Venus Williams, who began her professional career in 1994, delivered an impressive performance in a match marked by numerous breaks. Though broken early, the former world No. 1 found the solutions to stay composed throughout the match.
Trailing 3-1 in the second set, she won five of the last six games to ultimately secure one of the standout victories of the 2025 season (6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour and 36 minutes).
While Stearns has now lost four of her last five matches since the WTA 1000 in Rome, Venus Williams extends her joy and will face Magdalena Frech, who defeated Yuliia Starodubtseva earlier this week, for a spot in the quarterfinals.
This marks her first win on the main tour since her first-round victory at the 2023 WTA 1000 in Cincinnati against Veronika Kudermetova (6-4, 7-5). Additionally, she has become the oldest player to win a WTA tour match since Martina Navratilova, who was 47 when she defeated Catalina Castaño at Wimbledon in 2004.
After writing another chapter in her legendary career in Washington, Williams reflected on her performance on the court, emphasizing the support from her team.
"You can play well and still lose. I wanted to play well and, most importantly, win. It’s so great to come back after a long time away, multiple injuries...
But I have to say I didn’t even need this to play—I’m here because I already had the support of my team pushing me to compete. A big part of this win is for you guys," she shared on court after her victory, speaking to WTA media.
