Venus Williams made a winning return to tennis alongside Hailey Baptiste as they claimed a 6-3 6-1 victory against 2014 Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue in the Citi Open women’s doubles.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion, 45, has not been seen on court since a straight sets defeat to Diana Shnaider at the 2024 Miami Open last March and received a wildcard into the DC Open – live on Sky Sports.
Venus revealed a recent trip to Wimbledon – where she claimed five singles and six doubles titles – for the 2025 championships evoked memories that inspired her to pick up a racket again.
Baptiste and Williams won 11 of the last 12 games from 3-1 down in the first set.
“My personal goal is to have fun I think right now, and enjoy the moment, not put too much pressure on myself,” Williams said on Sunday, as she prepared to return to action.
“Of course, I love winning. I want to win. But more than anything, I just want to get the best out of myself. If I can do that, then I’ll be fine.”
In the singles competition, Williams is set to face Peyton Stearns, a 23-year-old American currently ranked No 35 who won NCAA singles and team championships at the University of Texas.
Williams refused to rule out a full-time return to tennis but stressed she was focusing on the mental and physical challenges of her comeback, which include rekindling her power-playing abilities, rather than long-term plans.
Raducanu also through with Rybakina
Emma Raducanu also made a winning start to her US hard court campaign, teaming up with former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina to see off British compatriot Olivia Nicholls and Czechia’s Tereza Mihalikova.
Raducanu and Rybakina, playing together for the first time, lost the first set but fought back to win the following two, emerging with a 2-6, 7-6, 11-9 victory in Washington.
The pair were 9-5 up in the deciding tiebreak before being pulled back, but ultimately their quality shone through.
The doubles experience will be valuable for Raducanu, who is teaming up with Carlos Alcaraz in a reimagined mixed doubles championship at the US Open next month.
She kicks off her singles campaign in Washington against Marta Kostyuk later on Tuesday.
What is the schedule for the Mubadala Citi DC Open?
Qualifying: Saturday, 19 July and Sunday, 20 July
Main Draw: Monday, 21 July-Saturday, 26 July
Singles Finals: Sunday, 27 July
Who won the last editions of the Mubadala Citi DC Open in 2024?
Sebastian Korda defeated Flavio Cobolli in last year’s final, winning 4-6 6-2 6-0. With the win, he became the first American man to win the Washington crown since Andy Roddick in 2007. He also matched his father, Petr Korda, who won the DC title in 1992.
Paula Badosa won the women’s title. However, the world No 10 will not be back to defend her 2024 crown after pulling out earlier this week due to a back injury.
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