Venus Williams wins a doubles match
at Washington in her first tournament in more than a year
[July 22, 2025]
By HOWARD FENDRICH
WASHINGTON (AP) — Competing at a tournament for the first time in
more than a year, and in doubles for the first time in nearly three,
Venus Williams hit a big serve on her initial delivery at the DC
Open on Monday and, curiously, it was wiped out by a foot-fault
call.
The 45-year-old Williams, an owner of 21 Grand Slam titles across
singles and doubles, smiled incredulously, as did the other three
players involved in the match in front of a full crowd that
eventually included NBA star Kevin Durant. And then Williams carried
on, displaying her trademark power on some strokes while teaming
with Hailey Baptiste for a 6-3, 6-1 victory against 2014 Wimbledon
runner-up Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue.
“It’s just nice to be able to play. Where I am at this year is so
much different where I was at last year. It’s night and day, being
able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to
preparing for surgery a year ago,” said Williams, who spoke in an
interview with NBC earlier this month about having a procedure to
remove fibroids from her uterus. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t
really matter if your health is not there. So it definitely put it
in perspective for me and maybe made it easier to make the decision
to maybe come back out here and maybe play even freer.”
Her most recent match had been at the Miami Open in March 2024, and
she said Sunday she had two goals in Washington: to have fun and to
win.
She did both — winning, yes, and contributing plenty to the cause,
but also having a good time, high-fiving or fist-bumping Baptiste
after some of their best points, laughing after others and waving to
an appreciative group of fans that roared over and over for
Williams. She and Baptiste hugged when it ended.
“The crowd was insane. From the moment we stepped out of the players
area, you could kind of feel the buzz. Walking onto the court, just
felt all the love for the both of us,” said Baptiste, a 23-year-old
from Washington. “I was obviously very nervous to play with her. I
didn’t want to let her down, first match back and everything."
It was full at 3,000-seat John Harris Court, where Durant showed up
late in the first set, while across the way at the 7,500-capacity
main stadium, only a few dozen spectators were scattered in the
stands for an all-American singles match in which Reilly Opelka
defeated Murphy Cassone.
[to top of second column] |
Venus Williams, right, hugs her doubles partner Hailey Baptiste,
left, after they defeated Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue in a
doubles match at the Citi Open tennis tournament Monday, July 21,
2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Asked to comment about the court assignments,
tournament director Daniel Vallverdú said: “The tournament works to
balance full singles and doubles ATP and WTA schedules, while
coordinating with broadcaster requests for court assignments.”
When Williams, wearing a white visor as she so often has, was
introduced before participating in doubles for the first time since
the 2022 U.S. Open — when her partner was younger sister Serena —
the stadium announcer mentioned that Venus has “one of the best
serves in the history of the game,” that she “turned pro in the last
century” and “has won everything.”
That includes seven major singles trophies — five at Wimbledon, two
at the U.S. Open — and an additional 14 in doubles with Serena, plus
four Olympic gold medals.
“She’s 14 years older than me and still plugging away,” said
Bouchard, 31, a former top-five player who announced that next
week's tournament in Montreal will be the last of her career. “I
have nothing but respect for her. She’s such a legend. That was a
pretty cool crowd for a doubles match.”
They sure were into it Monday, standing with phone cameras raised
high when Venus first appeared at the court — and again when it
ended.
There will be other opportunities to see her this week: In singles,
Williams was scheduled to play Tuesday night against Peyton Stearns,
a 23-year-old American currently ranked No. 35 who won NCAA singles
and team championships at the University of Texas.
“I have been training for months to get to this moment,” Williams
said.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
