- Venus Williams became the second-oldest winner on the WTA Tour at 45 years old on Tuesday night, behind Martina Navratilova.
- Williams defeated 23-year-old Peyton Stearns in the first round of the D.C. Open.
- The tennis odds are now against Williams in her second-round match against Magdelena Frech on Wednesday.
Venus Williams is now the second-oldest player to win a match on the WTA Tour ever, after Martina Navratilova. The 45-year-old upset Peyton Stearns in the first round of the D.C. Open.
Williams will next face Magdelena Frech in the second round, and to no surprise, the legendary player enters the match as an underdog.
Williams Turns Back the Clock Against Stearns
Williams hadn’t even played a match on the WTA Tour since March 2024, and hadn’t won a match since August 2023.
However, Williams took a wild-card spot to enter the D.C. Open and was up against 23-year-old Peyton Stearns. But Williams was brilliant, showing the skills that made her a ten-time Grand Slam singles winner. She used a big serve and a solid groundstroke game to defeat Stearns 6-3, 6-4.
At 45, Williams is now the second-oldest player on the WTA Tour to win a match. She is only behind Martina Navratilova, who beat Catalina Castano at 47 years old in the first round of Wimbledon in 2004.
Williams had nine aces on the day, and even Stearns said that she wasn’t expecting her opponent to move around the court as quickly as she did.
Williams suffered various injuries, the main reason for her hiatus, and she has business interests to take care of. She was offered a wild-card spot for Indian Wells in March, but Williams turned it down.
The legendary player wasn’t even in the WTA rankings, and had been categorized as “inactive”. Meanwhile, Stearns is ranked 35th in the world and recently lost to world #1 Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round in Madrid.
But this was a real “turn back the clock” performance from Williams, who will look to do it again on Wednesday.
Can Williams Upset Frech on Wednesday?
Tennis betting sites have Williams as an underdog against Frech, who is seeded fifth in the tournament and ranked 24th in the world. Williams has odds of +325 at Bovada tomorrow, and this will be the first meeting between the two players.
Frech is 27 and has won two titles on the WTA Tour, but none higher than the WTA 500 level. The D.C. Open is of the same level, so she should feel comfortable.
The odds were against Williams on Monday, and that didn’t stop her. The first match was powered by adrenaline. But the most difficult obstacle Williams will deal with is the recovery process. How does her 45-year-old body feel after playing for an hour and 37 minutes just 48 hours prior?
But the tennis world will be cheering on Williams as she hopes to continue a historic run in the nation’s capital on Wednesday!