Venus Williams, 45, becomes the second-oldest WTA match winner with a historic victory
Venus Williams defeated Peyton Stearns to become the second-oldest woman to win a singles match at the WTA Tour level.
At the Washington Open, tennis great Venus Williams became the second-oldest woman to ever win a WTA Tour-level singles match after shocking both fans and critics by defeating world number 35 Peyton Stearns in straight sets.
In the opening round, Williams defeated her 23-year-old American opponent 6-3, 6-4 at the age of 45. After a 16-month break, the match marked her return to tour-level competition and her first singles victory since August 2023.
With her victory, she becomes the oldest woman to win a WTA singles match since Martina Navratilova, who did so in 2004 at the age of 47. Williams, a former world number one and seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, received a wildcard to the competition.
When asked after the game if her win was a kind of validation, Williams brushed it off. “No,” she replied, “because I’m here for myself and no one else.” “I don’t need to prove anything. Zip. Nothing. I want to be here, so I’m here for me. Furthermore, I have never won or lost by disproving someone or by thinking negatively about them.
Stearns, who was born in 2001, the year Williams had won four Grand Slam titles, gave her opponent high marks for her play. Tonight, she participated in some ball. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from her, but she was moving extremely well. She remarked, “Her serves were just on fire.”
Williams, who was declared “inactive” by the WTA and hadn’t played since March 2024, started her comeback on Monday un the doubles draw. They advanced to the round of 16 by defeating Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue 6-3, 6-1, teamed up with fellow countrywoman Hailey Baptiste.
Venus continues to exceed expectations with her perseverance and love for the game. She is well-known not only for her strong game but also for her groundbreaking career with her sister Serena, which saw them win 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together.
She will continue her incredible comeback campaign in the second round against Polish fifth seed Magdalena Frech.
