WASHINGTON – Venus Williams’ bid for his first successful streak since 2019 misplaced twenty fourth place Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-2 on the DC Open on Thursday night time.
Williams, 45, has received his first spherical victory in opposition to thirty fifth place Payton Stearns on Tuesday night time. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion grew to become the oldest lady to win a tour-level singles match, as Martinana Bratilova was 47 years previous in 2004.
It was Williams’ first win with singles since 2023, and she or he later joked that she was motivated to succeed as she needed to return to the WTA medical health insurance plan after taking a yr off from the tour.
She additionally received a doubles match in Washington. This tough courtroom match was Williams’ first occasion since March 2024. She missed time attributable to surgical procedure for her uterine fibroids.
The final time Williams received no less than two consecutive occasions was on the Cincinnati Open in August 2019, bringing collectively third consecutive wins earlier than shedding to the Madison Keys within the quarterfinals.
Williams began off effectively in opposition to Fleck, transferring up 2-1. However from there, Fleck claimed that seven straight video games personal the primary set and would lead the second 2-0.
Fletch is 27 years previous from Poland and was working for the fourth spherical of the 2024 Australian Open earlier than shedding to Kokogoff.
The present below the lights on Thursday was all about Williams. Williams’ greetings had been a lot bigger when he walked in courtroom with a inexperienced train band torched. Each time Williams unfolds one in all her booming floor strokes – she will nonetheless hit the ball arduous – the group on the essential stadium cried.
The issue for Williams was that she ceaselessly did not calibrate these photographs, together with when she sailed the forehand after dashing ahead to achieve the brief ball. That gave Fleck a 3-2 lead.
Williams dropped his head and shoulders after a couple of errors. She had 14 compelled errors within the opening set, greater than twice as many as Fleck’s. Followers usually responded with “awww” rapidly earlier than trying to provide Williams a lift by shouting help.
After Williams was 1-0 late within the second set, he stated, “Go right here, Venus! Go right here!”
She received the sport a couple of minutes later, then clapped loudly, and there was a chant of applause accompanied, “Venus!” When she broke and reached inside 4-2 on that set. Nevertheless, Williams did not get one other recreation.
When it completed an hour later, it ended 12 minutes later with the final Williams forehand, which had a protracted touchdown, and the viewers gave her a standing ovation.
“We’re by no means going to say goodbye to Venus Williams, proper?” the stadium announcer stated.
This report makes use of data from the Related Press.
