"At age 45, Williams was the oldest singles player at the hard-court tournament since Renee Richards in 1981. She was making her 25th US Open main draw appearance, the most by any man or woman since the Open era began. Williams wasn't exactly easing into things Monday: Muchova, a 29-year-old from the Czech Republic, was seeded 11th in New York and made it to the semifinals there in both 2023 -- when she lost to eventual champion Coco Gauff -- and 2024."
"Williams started slowly, ceding 11 of the initial 13 points and falling behind 2-0. With members of the crowd shouting, "Let's go, Venus!" and roaring after her winners -- and her fiance, Andrea Preti, leaping out of his seat -- Williams took the next three games to go ahead 3-2, before Muchova grabbed the next four to claim that set."
"Since making her professional debut in 1994, she's also collected 14 Grand Slam trophies in women's doubles alongside her younger sister, Serena, plus two in mixed doubles, earned a record five Olympic tennis medals and reached No. 1 in the WTA rankings. Through the years, both siblings transcended their sport and became much more than successful athletes. Serena, who won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, played her last match at the 2022 US Open."
Venus Williams returned to US Open singles at age 45 after a two-year absence and lost 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 to Karolina Muchova. Muchova, seeded 11th and a recent semifinalist, used stronger play in the third set to close the match. Williams produced powerful serves and groundstrokes and rallied in the second set after an early deficit, buoyed by crowd support and her fiancé's presence. Williams has a 25th US Open main-draw appearance, two singles titles at Flushing Meadows, 14 doubles Grand Slam trophies with Serena, two mixed doubles titles, five Olympic medals and a former No. 1 ranking.
Read at ESPN.com
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