Milan, 23 July (LaPresse) – Venus Williams said she still has ‘fire inside’. At 45, she is the oldest player to win a WTA singles match since 2004, when Martina Navratilova, then 47, defeated Catalina Castaño at Wimbledon. Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, began her campaign at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, the WTA 500 in Washington (hard – HAR-TRU, prize money $1,282,951), defeating Peyton Stearns, world number 35, 6-3, 6-4. The eldest of the Williams sisters had not won a singles match since Cincinnati 2023, when she defeated a Top 20 player, then-WTA No. 16 Veronika Kudermetova. ‘It's the first step, and the first match is always extremely difficult,’ Williams said after the match. "It's hard to describe how complicated it is to play a first match after such a long break. When I step onto the court, I still feel like I have the tennis to win, but it's about actually doing it. So playing a good match and winning is the best possible result. Then I'm here with my friends, my family, people I love. I also feel a lot of love from the fans. It was just a wonderful evening."
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