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Venus returned to professional tennis with a doubles victory at the Washington Open, partnering with Hailey Baptiste to defeat Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue 6-3, 6-1.
enus Williams was triumphant on her comeback to tennis (X)
Venus Williams marked her return to professional tennis with a convincing doubles victory at the Washington Open on Monday, more than a year after her last competitive appearance.
The 45-year-old American partnered with fellow countrywoman Hailey Baptiste to win their women’s doubles round of 16 match in straight sets.
Williams and the 23-year-old Baptiste defeated Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue 6–3, 6–1 to advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament. It was Williams’ first match on the WTA Tour in 16 months, her last outing having come at the Miami Open in March 2024.
🗣️ “It’s inspiring to be out here”Venus Williams made a winning return to tennis alongside Hailey Baptiste as they claimed a 6-3 6-1 victory against Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue in the Citi Open women’s doubles 🎾 pic.twitter.com/cG69QeilEX
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 22, 2025
“It wasn’t easy for us but we brought it together quickly as a team,” Williams told Sky Sports after the match.
“I love this game and [I’m] still hitting it big.”
‘Inspiring’ Return After Long Absence
The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion admitted it felt “inspiring” to be back on court after such a long layoff. Despite the time away, Williams looked comfortable alongside Baptiste, combining well with the younger American throughout the match.
Williams was full of praise for Baptiste and joked that she may have found the perfect doubles partner a little too late in her career—especially given her legendary doubles success with younger sister Serena, with whom she won 14 Grand Slam titles.
“I could see that we were going to be a good team,” Williams said.
“We just should have started playing earlier, years ago, right?
I think Serena was just in the way.”
The win in Washington moves Williams and Baptiste into the quarter-finals as the veteran continues her inspiring return to the sport.
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term…Read More
After training in the field of broadcast media, Siddarth, as a sub-editor for News18 Sports, currently dabbles in putting together stories, from across a plethora of sports, onto a digital canvas. His long-term… Read More
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