‘I Ran Out of Gas’ - Venus Williams, 45, Admits Major Struggle Against Rival Half Her Age

Venus Williams, 45, was defeated in the second round of the WTA 500 tournament in Washington by Poland's Magdalena Frech, 27, ranked 24th in the world.

The final score was 6-2, 6-2 but the veteran American leaves D.C satisfied and will soon participate in Cincinnati.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams returned to competitive tennis this week at the WTA 500 tournament in Washington after a significant break of one year and four months.

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At 45 years old, she became the oldest player to win a WTA match since Martina Navratilova in 2004, after defeating compatriot Peyton Stearns in the opening round.

However, her run was stopped in the second round by Frech, the tournament's fifth seed. Frech overcame Williams' strong 2-1 start to win with a double 6-2.

"She's a superstar, she's like a goddess here, so it was very emotional for me to manage the match," Frech said in her on-court interview. "I can't even imagine myself in 17 years, still being on the court, no chance!" she added.

"It was a great match and an honor to play with her. I won a lot of points with my first serve and tried to make her move around the court, playing in different directions all the time, with some drop shots and slices," said Frech. "I think I played well tactically, and I'm very happy to have reached the quarter-finals."

Meanwhile, Williams, who also played in the doubles draw alongside Hailey Baptiste, was pleased with her return to tennis.

"Oh, I had a lot of fun. It's definitely not the result I wanted, but it was a learning experience. In sport and in life, you never stop learning. Unfortunately, I feel like I ran out of gas. I tried to find the energy, but I couldn't," said the former WTA number one after the match.

"I've played a lot of matches here, and that was definitely a plus. The fans in Washington are just amazing. I couldn't have been happier with my first week back," she added.

"I learned a lot here. I know exactly what I need to work on, where I can improve," Venus indicated. "The good news is that I always have control over the point. The important thing is to get the ball in the court," she concluded.

The WTA 1000 tournament in Montreal is scheduled for next week, but Venus will return to action starting August 7th, after accepting a wildcard for the main draw in Cincinnati, another 1000-point tournament.