Venus Williams returns to singles tennis with astonishing first-round victory over Peyton Stearns at the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025

Venus Williams played…well, like herself. The 45-year-old living-legend of women’s tennis powered past Peyton Stearns (world No. 35) in straight sets (6-3, 6-4) during a blockbuster first-round match at the Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 on Tuesday, 22 July.

The former world No. 1 played as though she hadn’t missed a beat, serving up an incredible nine aces in her return to tour-level singles tennis after a 16-month break from the court due in part to her long and silent battle with fibroids.

"It's hard to describe how difficult it is to play a first match after so much time off,” Williams stated after the match.

While many wondered if she still had the magic touch that led her to seven Grand Slam titles, Williams knew deep down she had the skill set, fitness and stamina required to win the match against Stearns.

“Going into the match, I know I have the ability to win, but it's all about actually winning,” she added. “So this is the best result, to play a good match and win.”

Her victory assuaged the doubts of pundits, fans and rivals alike, while adding an extra statistic to her long and glided resume.

Aged 45, she became the second-oldest player to win a tour-level singles match, after Martina Navratilova (aged 47) beat Catalina Castano at Wimbledon in 2004.

"There are no limits for excellence," asserted Williams. "It's all about what's in your head and how much you're able to put into it. If you put in the work mentally, physically, and emotionally, then you can have the result.”

Of course, it certainly didn’t hurt to achieve such a result in front of 7,000 supportive fans, who mostly came to see her play.

“I'm here with my friends, family, people I love, and the fans, too, who I love and they love me, so this has been just a beautiful night."

Williams next match will be a second-round thriller against Poland’s Magdalena Frech (world No. 24) on Thursday, 24 July. If she has her way, it might just be an equally "beautiful" night in Washington D.C.

Click here to read article