5 months ago
- Sports
- Published: Jan. 02, 2026, 8:47 a.m.
American tennis fable Venus Williams has received a chaotic paper bid to nan Australian Open opening Jan. 18 successful Melbourne.
Williams, 45, will go nan oldest female to compete successful nan Australian Open main draw, surpassing Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 erstwhile she competed astatine nan 2015 Australian Open, nan tourney announced successful a news release.
It will besides people her first clip competing astatine nan AO’s Melbourne Park since 2021, and her first title extracurricular of nan U.S. since 2023.
Williams, a seven-time expansive slam champion, first competed astatine nan AO successful 1998, wherever she defeated her younger sister, Serena, successful nan 2nd round. She later mislaid to chap American Lindsey Davenport successful nan quarterfinals.
Williams has doubly vanished arsenic runner-up astatine nan AO women’s singles tournament, losing to Serena successful nan finals successful some 2003 and 2017.
“I’m excited to beryllium backmost successful Australia and looking guardant to competing during nan Australian summer,” Williams said successful nan release. “I’ve had truthful galore unthinkable memories there, and I’m grateful for nan opportunity to return to a spot that has meant truthful overmuch to my career.”
Williams is 1 of 8 women to gain main tie chaotic paper bids astatine this month’s AO, on pinch chap American Elizabeth Mandlik; Australia’s Emerson Jones, Priscilla Hon, Talia Gibson and Taylah Preston; France’s Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah; and Kazakhstan’s Zarina Diyas.
Zach Mentz is Trending Sports and News Reporter for cleveland.com / The Plain Dealer. His past acquisition includes clip spent pinch nan Cleveland Guardians, Cannabis Business Times, and North Coast Media. His...
