After her historic victory at 45, Venus Williams’ tennis journey in Washington has come to an end. Her rival nevertheless showered her with compliments.
Venus Williams was knocked out of the WTA tournament in Washington two days after her historic opening victory. The 45-year-old lost her round of 16 match at the DC Open in the US capital 2-6, 2-6 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech.
Frech, who was the clear favorite, nevertheless showered Williams with compliments afterwards. “She is a superstar. She is like a goddess here, so it was difficult for me to play this match,” said Frech, who is ranked 24th. “It was a really great match and a great honor to play against her,” added the winner.
Wildcard for Cincinnati
Williams didn’t stand a chance in the match, which ended after 73 minutes. Serena Williams’ sister is one of the best tennis pros in history, with 21 Grand Slam titles – 7 in singles and 14 in doubles with her younger sister Serena Williams.
According to US media reports, Williams, who underwent surgery on her uterus last summer, was still listed as “inactive” by the WTA until a week ago.
Her opening victory (6-3, 6-4 against fellow American Peyton Stearns) made her the second-oldest winner on the WTA Tour. The only player to have won a match at an older age was Martina Navratilova, who won a match in 2004 at the age of 47. Following her opening victory in Washington, Venus Williams received a wild card for the Cincinnati Open in August. The US Open in New York, the highlight of the US hard court season, begins on August 24.