Even at age 45, even after two years away from Grand Slam tennis, Venus Williams displayed some big serves and powerful groundstrokes at the U.S. Open on Monday night in front of a supportive crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium,

The elder Williams was off the tennis tour for 16 months until making a comeback at a tournament in Washington last month, where she won one match each in singles and doubles. She hadn’t competed anywhere since the Miami Open in March 2024, and had surgery for uterine fibroids later last year.

Venus Williams, 45, played her first Grand Slam match in two years Monday night at the US Open, displaying some big serves and powerful groundstrokes before losing 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 to Karolina Muchova at Arthur Ashe Stadium.