Tennis icon Venus Williams just turned back the clock in legendary fashion! At 45 years old, she became the second-oldest woman in history to win a WTA Tour-level singles match, defeating 23-year-old rising star Peyton Stearns in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, at the 2025 DC Open.
This marks Williams’ first singles victory since August 2023 and her first match win since undergoing uterine fibroid surgery that sidelined her from professional play. She hadn’t competed in an official singles event since March 2024 and was even listed as “inactive” by the WTA… until now.
Her milestone moment puts her right behind Martina Navratilova, who still holds the record for oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match at age 47 in 2004.
Cheered on by a passionate crowd in the nation’s capital, Venus looked every bit the champion fans remember… firing powerful serves and trademark groundstrokes that have brought her an incredible 23 Grand Slam titles (7 singles, 14 doubles with sister Serena, and 2 in mixed doubles).
With this inspiring win, Venus proves once again: age is just a number when you’re a true legend.
