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 45-year-old won her first tennis match in 16 months on Tuesday night, turning back the clock to beat Peyton Stearns - who is 22 years her junior - in straight sets at the Citi Open in Washington D.

Williams received a massive ovation as she left the court at the tennis center that Arthur Ashe, one of her heroes in tennis and life, helped build. Ashe was a trailblazer for Black tennis players, and Williams and her sister, Serena, have followed in his footsteps.