Venus Williams Wins In Washington Doubles Opener After 16-Month Layoff
Venus, who does not have a ranking, won 14 major titles alongside Serena in the women's doubles, as the Williams sisters dominated the sport for many years.
She will face another American, Peyton Stearns, in the first round of the singles competition on Tuesday. When she takes the court as a wild card for her first singles match, she'll be the oldest player to compete at a WTA Tour-level main-draw match since Kimiko Date (then 46) seven years ago in Tokyo.
A victory on Tuesday Stearns, currently ranked No. 35, would make Williams the oldest to do it since Martina Navratilova (then 47) at Wimbledon 2004.
In the men's singles, Britain's Dan Evans and Cameron Norrie are through to the second round in Washington.
Evans, who won the Washington title in 2023, claimed a hard-fought win against Zizou Bergs 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. The 35-year-old wild card will next face 13th-seeded American Alex Michelsen.
Meanwhile, Norrie defeated British qualifier Billy Harris 6-3 7-6 (7-4) and faces French Open semi-finalist and second seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the second round.
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Hindustan Times
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