Venus Williams Returns to the Court with a Strong Doubles Win

Washington, D.C. — Venus Williams made her long-awaited return to professional tennis on Monday, playing her first match in over a year at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open. Teaming up with local favorite Hailey Baptiste, the duo triumphed over Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue in a decisive 6-3, 6-1 victory.

The crowd at the John A. Harris Grandstand was electric, featuring notable attendees like Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant. After the match, Baptiste commented on the fan energy, saying, “I heard the crowd started screaming, KD, KD. I was, like, I’m not even going to look over right now. Let me just focus on this next return.”

Williams, who has won a total of eight singles and 14 doubles Grand Slam titles, expressed her enthusiasm about playing in front of local fans. “I want to show KD what I can do. Hit the ball to me,” she joked, referring to her impressive performance that seemed to elevate her partner’s game.

Looking ahead, Williams and Baptiste will face either Bucsa/Melichar-Martinez or the second-seeded Townsend/Zhang in the quarterfinals. The DC Open runs from July 21 to July 27, 2025, and promises to deliver more thrilling matches.