Venus Williams makes a winning return to action at the age of 45
She and fellow American Baptiste proved too strong for Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue as they triumphed 6-3 6-1 in a last-16 encounter that lasted 72 minutes.
She's back 🤩
The one and only @Venuseswilliams returns to court.#MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/Sv6jO8qDu5
— wta (@WTA) July 21, 2025
Her comeback will continue as she takes on another American in Peyton Stearns in the first round of the singles. It is Williams' first appearances in a WTA Tour event since March 2024.
'It was great to come out here and see the energy,' Williams said on Sky Sports after the match. 'As we were walking out to the court, we knew this was going to be a match.
'Our opponents actually played very well. It wasn't easy for us but we brought it together quickly as a team. It was inspiring to be out here. I love this game and still hitting it big.'
Williams joked she wished she could have partnered with Baptiste, the 23-year-old world number 50, years earlier rather than playing with her sister Serena.
She said: 'I think from the first point, I could see that we were going to be a good team. We just should have started playing earlier, years ago, right? I think Serena was just in the way!'
Britain's Emma Raducanu scored an eye-catching win on her doubles debut alongside former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
Competing together for the first time, the duo fought back from an early deficit to beat fourth seeds Tereza Mihalikova and Britain's Olivia Nicholls 2-6 7-6 (4) 11-9 in a decisive tie-break set.
It was a notable win for Raducanu and Rybakina against opponents who triumphed at the Berlin Open last month and also reached the final at Indian Wells earlier this year.
Look at what it means!!! ❤️🔥
2023 champion Dan Evans digs deep to overcome Bergs 3-6 6-4 6-3 to progress in Washington. @mubadalacitidc | #MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/BBnWEPu1dA
— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 21, 2025
British number one Katie Boulter fell at the first hurdle in the singles as she went out 3-6 4-6 to Greece's Maria Sakkari.
Boulter lost her opening service game in each set and was never able to regain the initiative.
Earlier, former men's singles champion Dan Evans enjoyed a triumphant return to the tournament as he came from behind to beat Zizou Bergs.
Evans, the veteran former British number one, triumphed in 2023 but opted not to defend his title last year as he focused on the Olympics.
The 35-year-old was awarded a wildcard to participate this time and took advantage as he overcame a slow start to beat the Belgian Bergs, the world number 52, 3-6 6-4 6-3.
Bergs looked to have resisted the fightback when he edged back ahead with a break in the final set but Evans powered back to secure victory by winning four successive games.
'I didn't just want to take the wildcard and lose,' Evans said on Sky Sports. 'I felt I needed to pay them back a bit and try to 'defend' my title, because I couldn't last year.
'It was great, really enjoyed it, but it was rally difficult. There wasn't much rhythm. He played very well and I was lucky to come through that.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Alexander Isak tells Newcastle he wants to LEAVE as Liverpool consider £125m transfer
Alexander Isak has told Newcastle that he wants to explore a move away in a bombshell development. Isak, 25, has put Liverpool on red alert after they made an approach to sign him last week. The Premier League champions were told by Newcastle that the striker wasn't for sale and Liverpool turned their focus to fellow striker Hugo Ekitike. On Wednesday, Liverpool announced the signing of 23-year-old Ekitike after agreeing a £79million deal with Eintracht Frankfurt. It then emerged that Isak hadn't travelled with Newcastle's squad for their pre-season tour of Asia. Newcastle insisted that the Swede has been nursing a minor thigh injury and medical staff were concerned about the long-haul flight. However, as first reported by The Daily Mail, Isak has informed Newcastle that he wishes to consider his options and explore a transfer away from the club. He also doesn't want to commit to signing a new contract, with his current deal not expiring until 2028. Eddie Howe revealed following Saturday's friendly with Celtic that he'd sent Isak home because of the 'speculation' over his future. If Newcastle were forced to sell, they'd demand a fee in excess of £125m - a new British record. Saudi Arabian giants Al-Hilal have also been linked with a money-spinning move, but are, of course, have the same overall ownership as the Magpies. Howe explained Isak's absence for the Celtic game, a 4-0 loss, post-match. "It was my decision. He travelled back to Glasgow with us but I decided to send him home due to the speculation around him," the Magpies boss confirmed. "The last thing he wanted is to be sat in the stand watching, that wasn't fair to him. But I'm confident he will be a Newcastle player come the end of the window. "It's difficult for me to give 100 per cent clarity on any player. Alex is happy at Newcastle, he loves the players, the staff, the team. I'm confident he'll be here at the start of the season. Should Liverpool make a bid for Alexander Isak? Have your say in the comments section. "Yes, I've had discussions with him but that's not abnormal. I respect a player's career and how short it is. Alex has been really good, he's trained really well and I realise there'll be noise around him." Liverpool have already spent close to £300m this summer, breaking the British record themselves with the £116m signing of Florian Wirtz while making a further six signings. With the potential sales of Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott, the Reds DO still have the financial capacity to bid for Isak - even after signing French forward Ekitike. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
STV News
2 hours ago
- STV News
Two Scots named in starting team for Lions' second Test against Wallabies
Two Scotland players will start for the British and Irish Lions for their second test match against Australia in Melbourne on Saturday. Andy Farrell has named Huw Jones and Finn Russell in the side to take on the Wallabies as they attempt to complete a series victory. The head coach has made three changes to the starting line-up that won the first Test 27-19, including the removal of Sione Tuipulotu. The Scotland captain is struggling with a tight hamstring, but the indications are that he would have been dropped even without the injury. Blair Kinghorn is among the replacements for the game to bring the Scottish contingent involved to three. Ireland star Garry Ringrose pulled out of the team and has been praised for self-reporting the concussion symptoms that have cost him the chance of playing his first Test for the Lions. Andrew Porter, Ollie Chessum, and Bundee Aki, who takes Tuipulotu's place in the number 12 jersey, have been handed starts. On the bench Owen Farrell is poised to make his first international appearance since helping England finish third at the 2023 World Cup and he is joined by Jac Morgan, the only Welshman in the touring party. The starting XV is made up of nine players from Ireland, seven of whom represent Leinster, four Englishmen and the two Scots. Joe McCarthy has lost his battle with the foot condition plantar fasciitis so Ollie Chessum is drafted into the second row and there is an adjustment at loosehead prop where Andrew Porter is preferred ahead of Ellis Genge. The Ireland and Leinster contingent would have increased by one had Ringrose not told head coach Andy Farrell shortly before he was due to officially announce the team that his concussion symptoms had returned. An injury that initially surfaced after July 9's win over the ACT Brumbies forced him to sit out the first Test but having made a successful comeback against the First Nations and Pasifika XV on Tuesday, he was poised to replace Huw Jones at outside centre. Instead, he will be watching from the stands with Jones continuing in midfield for the Lions' shot at completing a series victory at Melbourne Cricket Ground. 'Garry was actually selected and unfortunately after training he's had to pull out,' Andy Farrell said. 'It's head-related again. It was literally as I was walking off the field. He came to me and once that's mentioned, that's that. 'With these type of things players are getting very good at telling the truth of how they feel, so it was a no-brainer to make the change straight away. 'It's very easy to keep it to yourself and lie and not be honest and open. It was very big of him and the right thing to do, 100 per cent. For the team as well, not just for Garry.' Lions captain Maro Itoje echoed the view of his head coach. 'I'm gutted for him that he's in this position but it also shows the measure of the man to be so selfless,' Itoje said. 'All we ask of all of us is to be selfless and put the team first. When push comes to shove, you see who really does it. Garry is a man who really did it.' Had Ringrose been fit, he would have formed an all-Ireland partnership with Aki at the expense of Tuipulotu and Jones, the Scotland combination who impressed in the series opener at Suncorp Stadium. Joe McCarthy has failed to recover from his foot problem so Chessum slots into the second row, while loosehead prop Porter is preferred ahead of Ellis Genge in the front row. James Lowe is lucky to retain his place on the left wing after a poor display in the first Test, but with Blair Kinghorn present on the bench after overcoming a knee problem Andy Farrell has a high-quality alternative ready. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Emma Raducanu admits she doesn't have many friends on tour and explains why
Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka have both won the US Open, but the Brit has explained why she has struggled to form a friendship with the Japanese star, and others on the tour Emma Raducanu has opened up about the challenges of forming friendships on the WTA Tour as she gears up to face Naomi Osaka for the first time. The British tennis star advanced to the second round of this week's Citi Open in Washington, where she will meet four-time Major winner Osaka. Parallels have been drawn between Raducanu's and Osaka's careers, with both Grand Slam champions experiencing periods of struggle and opting out of most of the 2023 season. However, world No. 46 Raducanu feels her journey post-US Open win involved more "dips", and she has now revealed the unfortunate reason behind her hesitation to form bonds with players like Osaka, who's last major victory came in 2021. Both women clinched their first major titles at Flushing Meadows. Osaka was just 20 when she triumphed over tennis legend Serena Williams in a contentious final in 2018, which saw Williams penalised by the umpire. Fast forward three years, and Raducanu, at just 18, blitzed through the draw in only her fourth professional tournament, making history as the first qualifier to secure a Grand Slam title. Both have faced their share of turbulence since then, but Britain's No. 3 believes their introductions to the sport were markedly different. "When I won my US Open, I came from school, I was no one, I was 200 in the world, and Naomi had already won Indian Wells. She was already a known figure on the tour, and people kind of expected, okay, like, she's going to start doing well and start winning Slams," Raducanu said. "Whereas I think when I won, it was completely out of nowhere. It means that I didn't quite build the foundations she had when she won her Grand Slams, which I think is why she was able to repeat and win another three, back-to-back US Open and Australia. "I think she was an established pro tour player, whereas I didn't necessarily feel that way. It's probably why I had a lot more dips afterwards." Raducanu remains without a title since her US Open victory four years ago, with her finest tour-level showings since then being semi-final runs. However, she can still identify with Osaka, who stepped away from the sport in 2023 to become a mother. That same year, Raducanu cut short her campaign to undergo three operations. She added: "It's good to see the similarities now. I think we have both kind of started doing better and started enjoying the process more and enjoying developing. "I think it's nice that after having such big highs and then some lows to both be working towards, you know, going up again." Despite sharing similar journeys, Raducanu has never had a conversation with the former world No. 1. The Brit prefers to keep her distance from competitors, believing friendships make matches even tougher. "I think when we're on the tour, it's very difficult to really open up with other players that you're competing against. I think for me, I have a few friends on the tour, but it does add another dimension when you play them," she explained. "I have really good friends at home that I can trust and speak to. For me, I just find it harder to compete against a person I'm friends with."
