Venus Williams Makes History in 1st Singles Match Since 2023, Beats Stearns at DC Open

Venus Williams returned to tour-level tennis on Tuesday, defeating Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4 at the DC Open and winning her first match in nearly two years.

The 45-year-old Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level match, according to ESPN. Martina Navratilova is the oldest, having won at Wimbledon in 2004, aged 47.

"It is not easy to (come back) after all that time and play the perfect match," Williams said following her victory.

"I wanted to play a good match and win the match," she added.

Williams' last victory came at the Cincinnati Open in Aug. 2023. She only played twice last season, losing at both the Miami Open and BNP Paribas Open.