Williams could not overcome 27-year-old Magdalena Frech, 6-2, 6-2, in the second round of the tournament on Thursday, July 24. Williams has not won back-to-back matches since 2019. Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste won their first-round match in doubles play on Monday, but the duo fell short of reaching the third round.

The D.C. Open will not be a one-stop hello-and-farewell appearance for 45-year-old Venus Williams. She had been away from the tour for 16 months before showing up in Washington this week and winning once each in singles and doubles.

The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion had not played a WTA Tour match since March of 2024 and had not won one since 2023.