After defying the adage of age in the DC Open, Venus Williams was eliminated in the second round of the doubles tournament

SportsLine tennis expert Blake Von Hagen reveals his 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open picks for Thursday's women's second-round match between Magdalena Frech and Venus Williams

MASON, Ohio — Venus Williams’ return to professional tennis will not just be a one-tournament visit: She was awarded a wild-card entry for the Cincinnati Open. The 45-year-old Williams is participating in her first event in more than a year at the DC Open and won first-round matches in both singles and doubles.

Venus Williams joked this week that she only returned to tennis to get back on the WTA’s health insurance. Venus Williams just came back from a 16-month break from professional tennis. But she didn’t return because she missed playing — rather, she missed her health insurance.

Top-seeded Taylor Fritz has gotten his North American hard-court season off to a strong start by hitting 11 aces and saving the only break point he faced in a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Aleksandar Vukic at the DC Open.

The juicy tidbit emerged as the former world No. 1 celebrated her victory over Peyton Stearns at the DC Open, making Williams, 45, the oldest player to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova did at age 47 in 2004. Williams had not played a match in well over a year.

Venus Williams made a triumphant return to professional tennis at the Mubadala Citi DC Open! Tournament Director Daniel Vallverdu demonstrated proper racket grips and said young players should focus on building a love for the game!