Venus Williams became the oldest player since Martina Navratilova to win a tour-level singles match at the Citi Open in Washington.
The 45-year-old defeated fellow American Peyton Stearns 6-3 6-4 for her first singles victory since August 2023.
It was Williams’ first singles match in 16 months and the unranked seven-time former grand slam singles champion will next face Polish fifth seed Magdalena Frech.
Navratilova was 47 when she won her final singles match in 2004 in the opening round of Wimbledon.
Williams, who returned to action on Monday with a doubles triumph alongside Hailey Baptiste, said on the WTA website: “I think it was a big win for me today.
“It won’t be easy. It’s not easy for anyone out here. So I know I’ll have to fight for every match, but I’m up for that.
“There are no limits for excellence. It’s all about what’s in your head and how much you’re able to put into it. If you put in the work mentally, physically, and emotionally, then you can have the result.”
Britain’s Dan Evans, 10 years Williams’ junior and battling to return to the top 100, posted another impressive victory, beating American 13th seed Alex Michelsen 6-4 6-4.
Evans won the biggest title of his career in the American capital two years ago but was unable to defend it last year after opting to play doubles with Andy Murray at the Olympics in the Scot’s swansong.
Evans’ win capped a brilliant day for the British players, with Emma Raducanu beginning her build-up towards next month’s US Open with an impressive straight-sets victory over seventh seed Marta Kostyuk.
Playing her first singles match since stretching world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the third round of Wimbledon, Raducanu held off the Ukrainian world number 27 to pull through
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