Venus becomes the oldest woman since Navratilova to win a singles match
There was also this: She wanted to win.
And Williams did just that, becoming the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match in professional tennis, delivering some of her familiar big serves and groundstrokes at age 45 while beating Peyton Stearns - 22 years her junior - by a 6-3, 6-4 score at the DC Open.
The only older woman to win a tour-level singles match was Martina Navratilova, whose last triumph came at 47 in 2004.
The former No. 1-ranked Williams had not played singles in an official match since March 2024 in Miami, missing time while having surgery to remove uterine fibroids. She hadn't won in singles since August 2023 in Cincinnati. Until this week, she was listed by the WTA Tour as 'inactive.'
'I'm just constantly praying for good health, so that I could have an opportunity to play with good health,' Williams said. 'A lot of this for me is being able to come back and try to play at a level (and) to play healthy.'
Backed by a crowd that was there to see, and support, her at the hard-court tournament in the nation's capital, Williams showed glimpses of the talent she possesses and the skills she displayed while earning all of her Grand Slam titles: seven in singles, 14 in women's doubles - all alongside younger sister Serena - and two in mixed doubles.
In Tuesday's second game, Williams smacked a return winner to get things started, then delivered a couple of other big responses to break Stearns, a 23-year-old who won singles and team NCAA titles at the University of Texas and is currently ranked 35th.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
2 days ago
- Kuwait Times
Kalinskaya meets Fernandez, De Minaur faces Spaniard in finals
WASHINGTON: Anna Kalinskaya prevented a rematch of the 2021 US Open final by ousting Britain's Emma Raducanu, booking a berth against Canada's Leylah Fernandez in Sunday's DC Open final. The 26-year-old Russian, seeking her first WTA title, downed Raducanu 6-4, 6-3 in Saturday's Washington hard court semi-finals to reach her third career tour final. It denied what would have been the first meeting between Raducanu and Fernandez since they met as teen prodigies four years ago in the Flushing Meadows final, which Raducanu won 6-4, 6-3. 'I think for the both of us, it would be a tremendous result,' Fernandez said of the rematch. 'We've come a long way from the 2021 US Open final.' Left-hander Fernandez rallied to defeat third seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 6-7 (2/7), 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/3) after three hours and 12 minutes to reach Sunday's final. 'It was definitely a tough match. It was a battle from beginning to end,' Fernandez said. 'In important moments I was able to pull through.' Fernandez won her only meeting with Kalinskaya, taking a first-round victory in 2021 at Guadalajara. 'She's a very fast player, so it's going to be very intense rallies,' Kalinskaya said. 'I just hope I'm going to play great and I want to enjoy it.' World number 36 Fernandez seeks her fourth career WTA title and first since the 2023 Hong Kong Open. Fernandez reached her seventh career WTA final and first since June 2024 at Eastbourne. Kalinskaya reached her only tour finals last year at Dubai and Berlin. Raducanu, ranked 46th, has not reached a WTA final since her Grand Slam breakthrough in New York. The men's final sends 13th-ranked Australian Alex de Minaur, who eliminated French lucky loser Corentin Moutet 6-4, 6-3, against 26th-ranked Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who eliminated eighth-ranked American Ben Shelton 6-2, 7-5. De Minaur is 2-2 lifetime against the Spaniard, winning their most recent meeting in a 2023 Canada semi-final. 'Don't overthink' World number 12 Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon winner, and Fernandez each surrendered only one break. Rybakina fired winners on the final four points of the first tie-break to claim the opening set after 53 minutes. Rybakina broke to open the second set. Fernandez fought back from 0-40 down to hold in the fifth game then broke Rybakina in the 10th to pull level at 5-5. 'I wasn't telling myself much in that moment,' Fernandez said. 'Listen to my coach and execute. Don't overthink too much.' Fernandez jumped ahead 5-0 in the second tie-breaker and 4-0 in the third on her way to winning both, a far cry from leg cramp issues on Friday. 'If I was going to get rolled out in a stretcher today, then so be it, but I was just going to give it my all,' Fernandez said. Kalinskaya broke Raducanu in the ninth game and held to take the first set in 53 minutes. World number 39 Kalinskaya fired a backhand cross-court winner to break in the opening game of the second set but Raducanu broke back at love. Kalinskaya broke again for a 3-2 edge and held to the end, which came when Raducanu netted a forehand after 94 minutes. De Minaur back in final On the men's circuit, De Minaur, who lost the 2018 Washington final to Alexander Zverev, seeks his 10th ATP title. The Aussie broke for a 4-3 lead, took the first set in 57 minutes, then won the first 14 points of the second and cruised despite 33 unforced errors. 'It wasn't pretty tennis, but I knew it was going to be a tricky match without a lot of rhythm,' De Minuar said. 'I had the mentality of doing whatever it took to get into the title match.' Davidovich Fokina took the first set in 27 minutes and captured the match in 80 as he pushes for a first ATP title, having lost February finals at Delray Beach and Acapulco. – AFP
Arab Times
2 days ago
- Arab Times
Piastri beats Norris to win rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium, July 27 (AP): Oscar Piastri beat his McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris to win Formula 1's Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday after heavy rain delayed the start. Piastri eased past his teammate and title rival Norris on the first racing lap after the safety car pulled into the pits on lap four, following a delay to the start of more than an hour. Norris reduced Piastri's lead toward the end of the race, but the Australian held on with a worn tire, and Norris couldn't get close enough to challenge. Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari after he kept Red Bull's Max Verstappen behind him all race. On Saturday, Verstappen held off both McLarens to take the sprint win, with Piastri second and Norris third.
Arab Times
3 days ago
- Arab Times
Pogačar closes in on fourth Tour title as Groves wins penultimate stage
PONTARLIER, France, July 26, (AP): Tadej Pogačar closed in on a fourth Tour de France title after safely finishing Saturday's penultimate stage and maintaining his big lead over arch-rival Jonas Vingegaard. Australian rider Kaden Groves won stage 20 with a late solo breakaway, while Pogačar rolled over the line about seven minutes later in the same time as Vingegaard. The Slovenian cycling star leads the two-time Tour winner Vingegaard by 4 minutes, 24 seconds, with German rider Florian Lipowitz 11:03 behind Pogačar in third overall. Barring a heavy crash or illness, Pogačar was expected to celebrate Sunday and move level with British rider Chris Froome on four Tour titles. Victory would also give Pogačar a fifth Grand Tour after dominantly winning the Giro d'Italia last year. However, Sunday's final stage is not a processional one, as is usually the case, and could potentially prove somewhat problematic toward the end with three consecutive climbs. The 184.2-kilometer route through eastern France featured three small climbs and a moderately difficult one up Côte de Thésy before finishing in Pontarlier. But there was scant opportunity for Vinegaard to attack Pogačar. As the riders set off Saturday in driving rain, the yellow jersey group stayed safely at the front until breakaways formed. When the front group tackled the 3.6-kilometer Côte de Thésy, Frenchman Jordan Jegat launched a solo attack, but he was then overtaken by Australian rider Harrison Sweeny.
