Mason, Ohio – Venus Williams’ return to professional tennis is more than a tour: she was awarded the Universal Card Wednesday at the Cincinnati Open next month.
The 45-year-old Williams competed in her first game this week at DC Open and won her first round in singles and doubles.
She beat Peyton Stearns, 23, 6-4, 6-4, and Williams became the second-biggest woman to win a tour singles match. Martina Navratilova was only 47 when she won her last singles victory in 2004.
Williams won seven Grand Slam singles titles – five at Wimbledon and two at the U.S. Open – with sister Serena, who won doubles, adding 14 in doubles.
She will play Poland’s Magdalena feature in Washington on Thursday.
The Cincinnati Open began on August 5 and was a tough tune for the U.S. Open.
Caty McNally, the only player to win the title Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon, also won the wildcard for Cincinnati on Wednesday.
