Venus Williams`s winning streak came to an end after her return to the sport after a long break. At the DC Open, the 45-year-old athlete suffered a loss in the women`s singles match against Magdalena Frech by 2-6, 2-6.
After the match ended, the spectators at the main stadium gave her a standing ovation, and Venus, too, responded with a smile.
She has not featured in any of the other tournaments in more than a year, and even if her run at the DC Open has come to an end, making her presence with the racket was a big one for Williams.
Reflecting on her loss, Venus said that it was a learning experience for her.
“Oh, I had so much fun. Definitely not the result I wanted, but still a learning experience. The part about sport (and) life is that you never stop learning,” she said.
She also thanked the DC fans by saying they are `epic`.
“I got to play a lot of matches here, and that definitely was a plus. The fans in D.C. are just epic. I couldn`t have been happier with my first week back,” she added.
Earlier, she secured a victory over Peyton Stearns in her first round of the women`s singles category. With this win, she became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova. The Czech Republic-born former tennis athlete made her appearance on the court at the age of 47 in 2004.
After securing the win over Venus Williams, Frech said, “I can`t even imagine how she pushes herself”.
Frech is a 27-year-old from Poland whose best Grand Slam showing was a run to the fourth round at the 2024 Australian Open before losing to Coco Gauff.
Following the win, Magdalena Frech will now clash against Elena Rybakina in the quarter-final of the DC Open.
In other action, top-seeded Jessica Pegula lost to 2021 U.S. Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 1-6, 7-5, and Emma Raducanu dominated her first career matchup against Naomi Osaka, winning the showdown between past U.S. Open champions 6-4, 6-2.
(With AP Inputs)
