The 45-year-old American star defeated 23-year-old Peyton Stearns with the set scores 6–3, 6–4 in the US capital Washington.
The win was Williams' first in singles in almost two years. The only woman who has been older and won a singles match at the highest professional level is Martina Navratilova, who was then 47 years old.
Most recently, Venus Williams won in singles in August 2023 in Cincinnati.
Williams, who has seven Grand Slam titles in singles, has suffered from myomas – benign tumors in the uterus – which she was operated on last year.
It's not easy, to come back after all this time and play the perfect match, says Williams after the winning match.
In the next round, she will face Magdalena Frech from Poland.
Together with Hailey Baptiste, Venus Williams also won her comeback in doubles the other day, when Eugenie Bouchard from Canada and the American teenager Clervie Ngounoue were defeated with 6-3, 6-1.
