Williams’s recent match was the first one she has played this year. The only woman older than she is now to win a tour-level singles match was Martina Navratilova, whose last triumph came in 2004 at age 47. Williams was once the No. 1 ranked women’s payer in the world and has made $42.6 million playing professional tennis.

WASHINGTON — Venus Williams took the Mubadala Citi DC Open by storm.

Tennis legend Venus Williams is back. The 45-year-old former world No. 1 player won her first singles match in nearly two years, defeating the world No. 35 Peyton Stearns, 6-3, 6-4, to reach the second round of the DC Open.