In what is seen as a stellar comeback, tennis legend Venus Williams teamed up with rising American talent Hailey Baptiste to secure a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue.
This marked Williams’ first win after a 16-month hiatus from competitive tennis, showing she still has the skill and drive.
Speaking to the media after the match, the 45-year-old said, “My personal goal is to have fun I think right now, and enjoy the moment, not put too much pressure on myself.”
“Of course, I love winning. I want to win. But more than anything, I just want to get the best out of myself. If I can do that, then I’ll be fine.”
Williams last swung her racket competitively at the Miami Open in March 2024, where she faced Diana Shnaider and was defeated in straight sets, 6–3, 6–3.
The California-born tennis star Williams will make her singles competition debut on Tuesday against Peyton Stearns.
The 23-year-old stepped into professional tennis in June 2022, shortly after winning the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Singles National Championship, becoming the first woman from the University of Texas to do so.
She made her WTA main-draw debut in 2021, appearing in doubles at the Silicon Valley Classic as an alternate and competed in her first Grand Slam singles draw at the 2022 US Open, entering with a wild card earned by her NCAA win.
It has also been confirmed that Venus Williams will come back at the US Open stage. The tournament will feature four game sets. She will partner up with fellow American Reilly Opelka in New York.
Venus Williams has won the US Open singles title twice, and made history doing it. Her first win came in 2000 when she defeated Lindsay Davenport 6–4, 7–5.
A year later, in 2001, she played against her younger sister Serena in the final and won again, 6–2, 6–4. The US Open is scheduled to take place in August 24 2025 until September 07 2025.
