Ageless wonder: Venus Williams earns Cincinnati Open wildcard After stunning DC Open comeback

Good news arrives for Venus Williams, who has been announced with a wildcard for the upcoming Cincinnati Open, following a notable return to the courts at the DC Open. The former world No. 1 returned to the WTA tour after 16 months of inactivity and did so in great form, securing a 6-4, 6-3 victory against world No. 35 Peyton Stearns, showing that the 45-year-old player still possesses a high level.

Williams also competed in doubles at DC, teaming up with fellow American Hailey Baptiste and reaching the second round. They fell to the second-seeded duo of Taylor Townsend (No. 2) and Shuai Zhang (No. 15). Nevertheless, Williams currently remains in contention in the singles draw, where she will face 25th seed Magdalena Frech.

Williams secured her return to the rankings, currently sitting at world No. 643 after her victory over Stearns. Evidently, her ranking is far from allowing her direct entry into major tournaments, but her illustrious career earned her one of the wildcards for the main draw, so fans will have the opportunity to see the seven-time Grand Slam champion in action again.

The elder Williams sister has had several appearances in Cincinnati throughout her career, with a 15-10 record (60%), reaching the semifinals in 2012, where she fell to eventual champion Li Na.

Second Wildcard announced for local player

Also receiving a wildcard was 23-year-old local player Caty McNally, currently world No. 131, whose career-high ranking was No. 54 back in 2023. The young player will have an opportunity to return to a WTA 1000 for the first time since the 2023 Rome Open, where she reached the second round of the tournament. During 2024, she faced a long-term injury and is in the process of reclaiming her place among the top players.

More wildcards and qualifiers to come

Four more wildcards are yet to be announced, which have historically gone to local players. The 96-player draw will also feature a total of 16 players who will qualify from the qualifying rounds. Candidates include significant names such as Laura Siegemund, Maria Sakkari, Victoria Mboko, and Ajla Tomljanovic.

Cincinnati Open taking shape

This week, news of several WTA stars withdrawing from the Canadian Open—the first WTA 1000 in the North American swing amidst the US Open Series—has garnered attention. As usual, the calendar features the Canadian Open and Cincinnati consecutively, leaving a one-week margin before the start of the year's final Grand Slam, the US Open.

However, there have been massive withdrawals in Canada, in both the men's and women's draws. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka announced a few days ago that she would not travel to Montreal—to take some rest and physical precautions—but her participation in the Cincinnati Open is not in doubt, where she is the defending champion.

The Belarusian will play her first and only preparatory tournament for the year's final major there. Also making her return in Cincinnati after several weeks out of competition will be Spain's Paula Badosa, who has been hampered by a recurring back injury over the past couple of months and hopes to gain confidence in Cincinnati. Aryna Sabalenka is indeed the defending champion of the Cincinnati Open, having defeated Jessica Pegula in the 2024 final with a score of 6-3, 7-5.

The tournament will take place from August 7 to 18, marking the final event for a good number of the big stars before competing in the US Open. Currently, the only withdrawal among the top players is Zheng Qinwen (No. 6), who underwent surgery and will not be in Canada, Cincinnati, or the US Open, with the date of her potential return still unknown.