Despite being inactive on the WTA Tour<\/a> for over a year, Williams had not confirmed her retirement<\/a>, with there being many questions surrounding the former world number one.<\/p>\n Those questions were answered when Williams, who is a seven-time major winner<\/a>, was announced as a wildcard for the Washington Open.<\/p>\n After the draw for the WTA 500 tournament was made, Williams<\/a> has now discovered who her opponent will be for her first singles match in 16 months.<\/p>\n Williams\u2019 first round opponent in the singles draw of the Washington Open is her compatriot Peyton Stearns.<\/p>\n Stearns, who is 23 years old, is the current world number 34 and has already produced some impressive results in her young career.<\/p>\n This includes winning her maiden WTA Tour title at the clay court tournament in Rabat last year.<\/p>\n Stearns has also received heavy praise from Ons Jabeur<\/a>, but she is yet to win a title so far this year and is actually winless at Grand Slams in 2025.<\/p>\n However, she did produce a record-breaking run at a WTA 1000 tournament in Rome earlier this year.<\/p>\n At the Italian Open in May, Stearns made American tennis history<\/a> by reaching the semifinals, but it was the way she did it that got people talking.<\/p>\n On her route to her best ever result at a WTA 1000 tournament, Stearns beat Australian Open champion Madison Keys<\/a>, Naomi Osaka<\/a> and Elina Svitolina<\/a> in consecutive matches.<\/p>\n What was record-breaking about these matches is that they were all won in third set tie-breaks, with Stearns becoming the first WTA player in the Open Era to achieve this feat.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Peyton Stearns\u2019 record at the Washington Open<\/p>\n Despite being 22 years her upcoming opponent\u2019s junior, Stearns has played at the Washington Open more times than Williams.<\/p>\n Williams made her only previous appearance at the Washington Open, which hosted its first WTA event in 2011, just three years ago.<\/p>\n In that appearance, Williams was beaten in the first round by Canadian qualifier Rebecca Marino.<\/p>\n Stearns has found more success in the American capital, having twice reached the last-16 at the WTA 500 tournament.<\/p>\n Last year, Stearns lost at this stage of the tournament to Emma Raducanu<\/a>, who will also be in Washington again this year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Although it appears that Williams may have the odds stacked against her against Stearns, she has also entered the doubles tournament alongside Hailey Baptiste.<\/p>\n![\"Peyton](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2214118122-1024x628.jpg\")
Photo by Robert Prange\/Getty ImagesPeyton Stearns: The record-breaking American who is now set to play Venus Williams<\/p>\n