Venus Williams will compete in a record 33rd consecutive WTA season when she takes to the court in 2026. The seven-time major champion will return to the ASB Classic in January, the tournament announced on Wednesday.

Williams, 45, debuted in Oakland in 1994 and has remained a fixture on tour for three decades. After a 16-month layoff, she returned in July, defeating Peyton Stearns in Washington and stretching Karolina Muchova to three sets at the US Open.

At No. 570, Williams is the oldest player to currently hold a WTA ranking — five years older than 40-year-olds Naoko Eto (No. 1,202) and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (No. 1,114).

Williams is a former Auckland champion — she won the 46th of her 49 career titles there in 2015, defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the final — and will be making her sixth appearance at the tournament. She was also a finalist in 2013 and a quarterfinalist in 2018.

The ASB Classic’s 2026 lineup will also feature another former World No. 1 in Naomi Osaka, this year’s runner-up, along with 17-year-old Guadalajara champion Iva Jovic and New Zealand’s highest-ranked player, Lulu Sun, who reached her second career WTA final two weeks ago in Guangzhou.

 

 

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