Venus Williams proved she still has the fire and fight after becoming the oldest player to win a WTA singles match in more than two decades, defeating world number 35 Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4 at the Washington Open on Tuesday.
The 45-year-old American, returning to singles action after a 16-month break, produced a composed and aggressive performance to claim her first singles victory since Cincinnati 2023. The result also sees her become the oldest WTA match-winner since the legendary Martina Navratilova, who triumphed at Wimbledon aged 47 in 2004.
“I think I just attacked the whole time,” said Williams after the win. “It’s just about finding the right balance between going too hard and not enough.”
Having made her return to competitive tennis in the doubles draw on Monday, the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion showed she still has the hunger for top-level competition.
“It’s the same because this is what I do, but at the same time, it was imperative for me to do it back then. Now, I don’t have to do this, but I have the same fire and the same want to win,” Williams added.
“In some ways, I’m still getting back into it. When you do it every day, everything is natural. It’s not as natural now, but I hope I can get back to that.”
Williams will next face Poland’s fifth seed Magdalena Frech in the second round.
“I think it was a big win for me today,” she said. “Like I said, it’s not easy. It won’t be easy. It’s not easy for anyone out here. So I know I’ll have to fight for every match, but I’m up for that.”
Elsewhere, Emma Raducanu also made a strong start to her campaign. The 22-year-old Briton, playing her first match against a top-30 opponent this year, overcame Ukrainian seventh seed Marta Kostyuk 7-6(4), 6-4.
Raducanu will now face Naomi Osaka in what promises to be one of the standout ties of the tournament’s second round.
“I think it’s a great match for a lot of spectators, which is great to be a part of,” Raducanu told reporters. “She’s been playing really good tennis this year. Yeah, it’ll be a great test of my own game and myself.”