Venus Williams defied the odds to beat Peyton Stearns 6-3 6-4 at the Washington Open at the age of 45 in her first competitive singles match of the year. 

Williams accepted a wildcard into the tournament, the first time she has played singles this season. But despite a distinct lack of match practice, the seven-time Grand Slam champion made relatively short work of beating Stearns, who is 22 years her junior. 

Williams will play fifth seed Magdalena Frech in the last 16, but she has yet to announce whether this is a one-off return to the tour, or whether she is gearing up to play in what would be her 25th US Open. 

Williams, who won the first of her two US Open titles 25 years ago, is now the second-oldest woman to win a match on the tour after Martina Navratilova, who won her first-round match at Wimbledon back in 2004 at the age of 47. 

“I’m not here for anyone else except for me,” Williams said after the match, reported by BBC Sport. “I have nothing to prove. Zip. Zero.

“I’m here for me because I want to be here. And proving anyone wrong or thinking about anyone has never gotten me a win and has never gotten me a loss.”

Five-time Wimbledon champion Williams had an injury-plagued 2023 season, before losing in the first round of both Indian Wells and Miami in 2024. 

She was offered a wildcard for Indian Wells this season, but turned it down – leading to speculation that she might never return to the tour.

But that has been quashed now, not just by her appearance in Washington, but by the manner in which she won. 

“You know, it’s the first step, and the first match is always extremely difficult,” Williams said on court after her win. 

“It’s hard to describe how difficult it is to play a first match after so much time off.

“So going into the match, I know I have the ability to win, but it’s all about actually winning. So this is the best result, to play a good match and win. 

“I’m here with my friends, family, people I love, and the fans, too, who I love and they love me, so this has been just a beautiful night.”

Williams also played doubles in Washington, winning her first round match alongside Hailey Baptiste.

Norrie, Evans and Raducanu also win in DC

It was a good day for British players in Washington, with Cameron Norrie, Dan Evans and Emma Raducanu also recording victories. 

Norris upset Lorenzo Musetti 3-6 6-2 6-3, Evans beat Alex Michelsen 6-4 6-4 while Raducanu overcame seventh seed Marta Kostyuk 7-6(4) 6-4. 

Norrie’s comeback seems well and truly on after injury derailed the latter part of his 2024 season, with the former world No. 8 struggling for form earlier this year. 

But a run to the Wimbledon quarter-finals seems to have revitalised Norrie, who had to dig deep against a player ranked seven in the world.

“I just kind of let go of the expectations and I’m playing tennis more to enjoy it now,” Norris said afterwards, before adding he was playing “like a kid again”.

“You’ve got to enjoy it otherwise you can get burned out on this long schedule.”

As for Raducanu, her victory sets up a mouth-watering clash with Naomi Osaka in the next round. 

“I think it’s a great match for a lot of spectators, which is great to be a part of,” Raducanu said after her win. 

“I felt the same way when I played Aryna [Sabalenka] at Wimbledon. That atmosphere was unbeatable for me. I think all the exposure I get to these top opponents… [Osaka has] won four Grand Slams, so an incredible achievement and incredible career so far. 

“And she’s been playing really good tennis this year. Yeah, it will be a great test of my own game and myself.”

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