Venus Williams Returns to Winning Ways in DC Open Doubles Comeback

Washington: Making her first competitive appearance in over 16 months, tennis icon Venus Williams returned to the court with a statement win at the DC Open. Partnering with fellow American Hailey Baptiste, the duo overcame a sluggish start to defeat wild card entrants Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue in the opening round of the women’s doubles.

The 45-year-old, who had been sidelined since the Miami Open in March 2024, showed flashes of vintage form. Despite falling behind 1-3 and facing break points early in the match, Williams and Baptiste rallied impressively to claim 11 of the next 12 games in a dominant finish.

The former world No. 1, who accepted a wild card for the tournament, last registered a win in August 2023 at the Cincinnati Open. Her appearance in Washington marked her second outing at the event, following a first-round singles loss in 2022.

Speaking after the win, Venus said the experience of returning to the court was “inspiring.” “I love this game and still hitting it big. From the first point I could tell we’d be a strong team. We probably should’ve started playing together years ago — though I think Serena was just in the way,” she said with a laugh.

Known for her dominant doubles run alongside sister Serena, Venus has 14 Grand Slam doubles titles to her name. Although currently unranked, she remains a revered figure in the sport.

She is also scheduled to compete in singles later this week. On Tuesday, she will face American Peyton Stearns in the first round. If victorious, Venus will become the oldest woman to win a WTA main-draw singles match since Martina Navratilova’s triumph at Wimbledon in 2004. Her appearance alone will make her the oldest WTA main-draw singles competitor since Kimiko Date, who played in Tokyo at age 46.