Williams and Baptiste Advance to Quarter-Finals with Victory Over Bouchard and Ngounoue

WASHINGTON: After a hiatus of over a year, Venus Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, marked her return to the court with a win at the Washington Open on Monday. Partnering with Hailey Baptiste, she secured a spot in the women’s doubles quarter-finals.

Williams and Baptiste triumphed over Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue with a score of 6-3, 6-1, progressing to the next stage of the competition in Washington.

The former world number one mentioned that coming back together as a team presents challenges, but she was impressed with their performance.

“It wasn’t easy, but we quickly clicked as a team. I still enjoy this game and bringing power to the court,” Williams stated.

Williams joked about not having teamed up with 23-year-old Baptiste sooner.

She recognized their compatibility and suggested they should have partnered earlier.

“I knew we would make a strong team. We should have started this years ago, right?” she commented.

“I think Serena was just in the way.”

A celebrated figure in the sport, Williams boasts five Wimbledon singles titles and two US Open titles, in addition to 14 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles won alongside her sister, Serena Williams.

Earlier in the year, she turned down a wildcard invitation for the Indian Wells tournament, citing prior commitments ‘overseas’.

Earlier this month, Williams conveyed her enthusiasm and emotional attachment to the Washington event in a statement.

“I’m thrilled to accept a wildcard to the Mubadala Citi DC Open. There’s a unique charm about DC, with its vibrant energy, passionate fans, and rich history,” she expressed.