Venus Williams has become the second oldest woman to win a WTA Tour-level singles match with her 6-3 6-4 victory over Peyton Stearns.
The 45-year-old was playing her first singles match in 16 months at the Washington Open and beat an opponent aged 22 years younger than her.
Williams, a seven-time major singles champion, is the oldest woman to win a singles match on tour since Martina Navratilova at the age of 47 in 2004.
The former world No.1, a legend of women’s tennis, had not played singles in an official match since March 2024 in Miami – with the American superstar ruled out after requiring surgery to remove uterine fibroids.
Speaking after her stunning win over world No.35 Stearns, Williams, competing at the tournament in Washington via a wildcard, said: ‘I’m not here for anyone else except for me, and I also have nothing to prove.
‘Zip, zero. I’m here for me because I want to be here. And proving anyone wrong or thinking about anyone has never gotten me a win and has never gotten me a loss.
‘No one has put in the work for me. I put in the work. So it doesn’t matter what anyone says. It doesn’t stop the work that I have put in. It doesn’t stop my belief.’
Will Serena Williams make a comeback?
Venus Williams hinted earlier this week that her younger sister Serena Williams, 43, could make a remarkable return to WTA Tour singles too.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion officially retired from professional tennis at the US Open in 2022.
Quizzed about her sister making a potential return, Venus said: ‘She can take six months off and she clocks it clean. You can’t teach that kind of talent. She’s just so good. I don’t know what she’s going to do.
‘I don’t ask those questions. I think we always hit the ball, because that’s who we are, we’re always hitting. Quite frankly, it’s great cardio. You get great legs and great arms from tennis, quiet as it’s kept. So obviously that’s part of her goal too is to stay in shape.
‘I mean, I keep saying to my team, ‘The only thing that would make this better is if she was here,’ like we always did everything together, so of course I miss her. But if she comes back, I’m sure she’ll let y’all know.’
Venus Williams reveals she is engaged to her actor boyfriend
Ahead of her next match with Magdalena Frech, Williams confirmed she’s now engaged to her 37-year-old actor boyfriend Andrea Preti.
‘My fiancé is here and he really encouraged me to keep playing,’ she said to huge cheers and applause.
‘There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. Do you know how hard it is to play tennis? You guys don’t know how much work goes into this, like it’s 9 to 5 except you’re running the whole time.
‘Lifting weights and just like dying and then you repeat it the next day. So he encouraged me to get through this and it’s wonderful to be here. He’s never seen me play.’
Williams is also playing in doubles at the Washington Open alongside Hailey Baptiste, with the American pair defeating Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue 6-3 6-1 in the last 16 on Monday.
Venus Willams enters blockbuster US Open mixed doubles
Tennis icon Williams recently entered herself into the blockbuster mixed doubles draw at the upcoming US Open alongside Reilly Opelka too.
There are some incredible star-studded duos set to compete together at Flushing Meadows, with Carlos Alcaraz teaming up with Emma Raducanu.
Other notable pairs include Emma Navarro and Jannik Sinner, Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios, Olga Danilovic and Novak Djokovic, Aryna Sabalenka and Grigor Dimitrov, Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, Mirra Andreeva and Daniil Medvedev as well as Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud.