Venus Williams clinched her maiden Top 20 win in four years with a straight set 6-4, 7-5 upset of No.16 seed Veronika Kudermetova in the first round of the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Williams, the seven-time Grand Slam champion, had not beaten a Top 20 player since this event in 2019 when she overcame Kiki Bertens. Following that victory, Williams went on to lose her next eleven matches against Top 20 opponents.