Venus Williams enjoyed a winning return to competitive tennis after 16 months away as she reached the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles at the DC Open alongside Hailey Baptiste
The all-American pair defeated compatriot Clervie Ngounoue and the retiring Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-1 in the round of 16 for Williams’ first victory on the WTA Tour since August 2023, when she defeated Veronika Kudermetova in the opening round of the Cincinnati Open.
Williams, 45, gave her signature twirl after the match as she took in the adulation of the capacity crowd.
“It’s just nice to be able to play,” Williams said after the match, per the Associated Press.
“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.”
Williams told NBC earlier this month that she had undergone surgery to remove fibroids from her uterus, a condition she said had affected her career and life for years.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if your health is not there,” she added. “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.”
It was the first time Williams had stepped onto the court at all for an official match since an opening-round defeat to Diana Shnaider at the Miami Open in March 2024. Her last doubles match was almost three years ago.
Williams, who is currently without a ranking in singles or doubles, has won seven grand slam singles titles and 14 in doubles alongside youngster sister Serena, as well as two mixed doubles titles in 1998.
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