Venus Williams (45) makes winning return to the court after 16 months
The 45-year-old seven-time grand slam tournament winner accepted a wildcard to compete in the Mubadala Citi DC Open this week.
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.
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Emma Raducanu to bank record sum if she regains US Open title as ‘largest purse in tennis history' confirmed
Scroll down to see how the prize money has changed since last year CANU DO IT Emma Raducanu to bank record sum if she regains US Open title as 'largest purse in tennis history' confirmed EMMA RADUCANU would bank a record $5million (£3.7m) if she regained the US Open women's crown next month. Four years on from that fairytale success in New York, the 22-year-old heads to Flushing Meadows with a new coach, Rafa Nadal's former guru Francisco Roig. Advertisement 2 Emma Raducanu could win a major windfall at the US Open Credit: Getty 2 The prize fund has doubled since Raducanu won the title in 2021 Credit: Getty Raducanu's title success in 2021 earned her $2.4m (£1.8m) so the top fee has doubled since then. On Wednesday, US Open chiefs announced a bumper new prize fund for the men's and women's singles champions to combat ongoing player complaints about pay. The tournament's overall pot has been described as the 'largest purse in tennis history'. It has gone up in 12 months from $75m (£56m) to $90m (£67m) in total player compensation. Advertisement The 2024 champions, Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner, received $3.6m (£2.7m) for their triumphs. First-round main-draw losers will be compensated with $110,000 (£82,000) in cash. The winning teams from the men's and women's doubles events – and from the new Mixed Doubles Championship – will split $1m (£750,000) in prize money. Meanwhile, Raducanu has hired her eighth coach of her career to boost her chances in the US. Advertisement SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN She has appointed former Rafael Nadal mentor Roig, 57, to help her on the court. He is vastly experienced having worked with Nadal throughout his career. Pet dog runs on court to celebrate as Emma Raducanu is beaten by Anna Kalinskaya in Washington He was No2 coach for the Spaniard for all 22 Grand Slam wins, working alongside his uncle Toni. Advertisement Raducanu's team began discussions with Roig over him coming on board during Wimbledon, according to the Mail.
Extra.ie
5 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Dunne reflects on Henry handball and THAT Russia performance
Richard Dunne had plenty of standout moments throughout his footballing career. Whether it was captaining Manchester City or leading Ireland to the European Championships with his no-nonsense defending, Dunne reached heights that have been somewhat lacking for the Boys in Green since his retirement. However, one of the most disappointing nights of his career is one that Ireland fans remember all too well. A videograb of Thierry Henry's handball that led to France's goal against Ireland in the World Cup play-off second leg in 2009. Pic: Sky Sports In November 2009, Irish hearts were broken by the left hand of Thierry Henry. After Ireland forced France to extra-time on their own turf, a place in the 2010 FIFA World Cup seemed a real possibility against all odds. However, with the match looking like it could head to penalties, a moment that has lived in infamy ever since occurred. When a long ball into the Irish box was slightly overhit and heading out for a goal-kick, Thierry Henry slipped into a blind spot for the referee, blatantly controlled it with his hand and tapped it across for William Gallas to head home. Despite the disbelief from Ireland's players, the referee was none the wiser and the tie finished 2-1 to France on aggregate. Dunne was of course in the penalty box when the incident occurred and he has reflected that while anger and disappointment were the predominant feelings at the time, ultimately they just had to get on with it. Ireland were left in disbelief after the goal. Pic: Laurent ZABULON/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images Speaking with bookmaker Betfree, he said: 'It was just disappointment. You know that a decision has gone against you so there is a bit of that (robbed feelings), but as professional players you deal with it and move on. 'Of course it keeps getting brought up, a bit like Diego Maradona's handball against England, but the players move on and in the heat of the moment you're annoyed and angry but you have to play every game the Saturday afterwards. 'It is tough to take but throughout the course of your career, some will go for you and some will go against you, it's just the way it is.' Although the France result felt like such a low point at the time, a couple of years afterwards, Ireland fans got to witness one of Dunne's highest rated performances on the international stage. In September 2011, Ireland visited Russia in a UEFA European Championship qualifier and never has a goalless draw been remembered like this one. Russia bombarded the Irish box with crosses and shots all game and were simply left stunned by how the ball never made it through to the back of the net. A major reason why it ended this way was Richard Dunne. Dunne's replacement shirt against Russia became iconic. Pic: David Maher / SPORTSFILE Dunne finished the match wearing an iconic blank jersey that had to have the number five drawn on it with marker after his original shirt was bloodied following one of his many challenges. He drew the 'Iron Curtain' across Ireland's goal and with the help of Shay Given, his defensive heroics earned an invaluable point that ultimately led Ireland to Euro 2012. When asked if he knew what an immense performance he was putting on at the time, Dunne remarked 'probably not' and added that while as a player you have a feeling if you're playing well, it was 'just a 0-0 draw in Russia' at the end of the day. He said: 'It was good and it's nice that it's something to be remembered by and I've obviously still got the scars from it. 'It's just of those things that follows you around I suppose.' Dunne's performance is remembered every year. Pic: INPHO/Donall Farmer One of the standout moments of the match was Dunne's unbelievable goal line clearance in the first half. Reflecting on it, he continued: 'It is funny, like every year it comes up and people show little clips of it. 'It's good to show my son and let him see it and stuff like that but sometimes it happens and you're just in the right place at the right time and it just happened on a couple of occasions that night. 'I think it's tough to really understand it. It's just one of those things that happened and you're really proud of it. 'It's just a nice memory to have.'
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Moment that caused F1 team to boycott Sky Sports revealed as Lance Stroll has X-rated meltdown at British GP
There is hope a resolution will be found after positive talks Fury road Moment that caused F1 team to boycott Sky Sports revealed as Lance Stroll has X-rated meltdown at British GP THIS is the X-rated moment that sparked a stunning Aston Martin BOYCOTT of Sky Sports Germany. Last weekend it was revealed by Ralf Schumacher that the Silverstone-based Formula One team was refusing to do interviews with the broadcaster. Advertisement 3 Ralf Schumacher revealed an Aston Martin F1 boycott against Sky Sports Germany following unbalanced media coverage Credit: Alamy 3 It came following Schumacher's demand for Lance Stroll to apologise after swearing about his car at the British Grand Prix Credit: Shutterstock Editorial This had come after the former F1 star had demanded Lance Stroll apologise to his engineers after he blasted the car as the "worst piece of s*** I've ever driven in my life" following the British Grand Prix. Stroll, 26, had enjoyed a strong run to P7 in the chaotic race despite qualifying down in P18 the day before. Schumacher, 50, had said: "I have to say, this statement is very disappointing, and quite honestly, it's a question of manners. You have to imagine the public perception of it. "The mechanics who work day in, day out so that the two of them can race - and then the boss's son comes along and says: 'Wonderful, and with such a s*** car'. Advertisement READ MORE IN F1 SCHU MUCH Formula 1 team BOYCOTTS Sky Sports as Ralf Schumacher makes statement live on TV "I have to say, that's not on, that's an absolute no-go. It's unspeakable and doesn't indicate a good upbringing. "I really don't know what film he's living in, but it's a shame to ruin his own result like that. Dear Lance, apologise to the team." The German's comments were the straw which broke the camel's back regarding Aston's feelings about their coverage being unbalanced before banning interviews with them. While this move is not a blanket ban, one-on-one style interviews between team members and the organisation have been ruled out over the feeling of biased coverage. Advertisement BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Schumacher had revealed the ban before the race at the Hungarian Grand Prix, adding: "I know they're not giving us any more interviews because they don't like us that much at the moment." His colleague Peter Hardenacke added: 'We were a bit too critical of the people at Aston Martin.' Toto Wolff defends F1 driver Lewis Hamilton after 'useless' comments Sky are still free to speak to the team's drivers in the TV pen on Saturdays and Sundays and senior leadership on Friday, but had seldom shown much interest in doing so. Advertisement SunSport understands Sky Germany were denied several exclusive interview chances at the Hungarian Grand Prix, and access will continue to be limited until the team see an improvement in coverage. However, positive talks have taken place and it is hoped a resolution will soon be reached between the team and broadcaster, who are said to have admitted some of their comments and coverage were too harsh. SunSport have contacted Sky Germany for further comment. Following the Hungarian Grand Prix, the F1 season is now entering its summer shutdown. Advertisement The next races in the calendar are now not scheduled until the end of August in Max Verstappen's home race of the Dutch Grand Prix. McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris lead the drivers championship with just nine points separating them, with current top dog Piastri trailed by Verstappen by a staggering 97 points. Aston Martin pair Fernando Alonso and Stroll sit P11 and P12 in the standings with 26 points apiece, propping the team up to sixth in the constructor's. 3
