Tennis Pro Venus Williams, not Serena, just won her first round match in the Washington Open and became the second oldest person to ever win a singles match on tour. However, she’s the oldest woman to do so in the past two decades. Keep on reading to discover how she managed to do it!
Venus Williams is The Oldest Woman To Win a Match Since 2004!
Venus Williams never said she retired from the sport, but just after 16 months of not having played a single competition game, the WTA had put her status to “inactive”. This is why it surprised so many Tennis fans when she showed up on Monday to play a doubles match with Hailey Baptiste, which they won 6-3, 6-1.
However, these fans did not expect Venus to play in the singles tour either, as she hadn’t been playing for a while. But the Washington Open invited her as a “Wildcard,” giving her entry to the tournament. This was unfortunate for fellow American Peyton Stearns, who faced Venus in the first round. Venus won both sets with a score of 6-3 and 6-4, allowing her to continue to the next match.
This victory made Venus Williams the second oldest woman to ever win a singles match in a tour, and the oldest woman to win this type of match in over 20 years!
Williams Is 22 Years Older Than Her Opponent
Peyton Stearns, who currently has the No. 35 spot in the WTA rankings, is just 23 years old. This makes Venus Williams more than 20 years older than the opponent she was facing during the first round. However, the years of skill Venus has over Stearns made it so that Williams was able to win and continue in the tournament.
Williams is so much older that by the time Peyton Stearns was born in 2001, Williams had already reached the No. 1 spot in the WTA and claimed 4 Grand Slam Titles.