Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams is returning to clay for the French Open in 2026. Williams, 45, officially entered the women’s doubles draw alongside fellow US star Hailey Baptiste.
The pair secured direct entry into the tournament based on their combined rankings, marking Williams's first appearance at the Paris Grand Slam in five years.
The return to the red clay is a major milestone for Williams, who last competed at Roland Garros in 2021. She's been active throughout the WTA season, making history as the oldest women's tennis player to compete in an Australian Open singles match earlier this year.
Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste Reunite for 2026 French Open
The 2026 French Open campaign features a generational pairing between the veteran Williams and the 24-year-old Baptiste. The duo is familiar with one another’s game, after previously partnering at the 2025 DC Open.
Williams, a two-time Roland Garros doubles champion (1999, 2010), brings decades of tactical experience to the partnership. She played her first match at the tournament 29 years ago.
Her 2026 WTA appearance cements an unprecedented level of longevity in professional tennis. Fans are eager to see if her veteran savvy — combined with Baptiste’s recent strong form on clay — can spark a successful doubles run.
Venus Williams Joins TNT Sports as French Open Commentator
Beyond the baseline, Williams will maintain high-profile visibility throughout the tournament.
She is slated to contribute expert commentary for TNT Sports when not on the court. This marks the second consecutive year Williams will be balancing competitive matches with broadcasting.
Hailey Baptiste produced the biggest win of her career on Tuesday, stunning world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-2, 7-6(6) in 2 hours and 30 minutes to reach the Madrid Open 2026 semifinals.
And she had to survive six match points to do it.
The 24-year-old US star had a slow start as Sabalenka took the opening set. However, the match shifted when Baptiste started mixing in more variety — using drop shots, net approaches, and changes of pace to pull Sabalenka out of rhythm.
By the third set, it had become a back-and-forth battle.
Serving to survive multiple times, Baptiste continued to respond. At 6-5 in the deciding tiebreak, she erased another match point. She later won the next three points and converted her lone match point to complete the Sabalenka upset.
"I wouldn't say that I'm necessarily working on hitting balls outside the alley," Baptiste said postmatch. "But I actually really enjoy being in those positions, because I feel like I can create shots there. I was able to do it in a really big moment."
That type of improvisation helped change the match.
The lost ended Sabalenka's 15-match winning streak while marking Baptiste's first career victory over a top-ranked WTA opponent. It also sends Baptiste into the first WTA 1000 semifinal of her career.
Baptiste is coming off a promising season start. She managed to push Sabalenka at the 2026 Miami Open before ultimately losing, saying that previous match helped shape her approach this time.
"I had a better idea of how to play her, and how I should play," Baptiste said in Madrid. "So I think I just went in trying to play my game, still doing the same things that I've been doing. But I had a few adjustments I needed to make from the last time we played.”
How to Watch Hailey Baptiste at the Madrid Open 2026 Semifinals
Now Baptiste moves on to face another Top 10 opponent: Mirra Andreeva.
The Madrid Open semifinals kick off on Thursday at 10 AM ET, live on The Tennis Channel.
Aryna Sabalenka looked close to a Madrid Open exit, before flipping the script to defeat Japanese fan favorite Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.
The world No. 1 rallied from a set down to oust Osaka 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-2 in 2 hours, 20 minutes.
However, for much of the first hour, Osaka looked in control.
She took the opening set in a dominant tiebreak and pressured Sabalenka early in the second as the two traded heavy baseline exchanges.
"I think I just dropped my level at the end of the first set and gave her that tiebreak quite easily," Sabalenka said in her on-court interview.
From there, the match shifted.
Sabalenka settled into longer rallies, improved her depth, and began attacking Osaka's second serve. Once she leveled the match, she carried that momentum into the third set.
Playing some of her strongest tennis in months, Osaka pushed the Belarusian in ways few opponents have this season.
"Oh my God, that was incredible level," Sabalenka said afterwards. "She played incredible tennis. I feel like I just got lucky in a couple shots in the third set, that's why it went that fast."
How to Watch Aryna Sabalenka at the 2026 Madrid Open
The win marked Sabalenka's 15th straight victory, building momentum as she chases a fourth Madrid title.
"Overall I'm happy with my performance," she said. "When someone put me under pressure, I was able to pull out really incredible shots and incredible tennis. So I'm happy. I'm happy that she actually brought that fight, just so I could fight through it, I could struggle a little bit, and find a solution in the match."
Sabalenka now faces No. 32 Hailey Baptiste in Tuesday's Madrid Open quarterfinal, live on The Tennis Channel.
The North American stars are shining bright in Florida this week, with every quarterfinal match at the 2026 Miami Open featuring at least one athlete from the US or Canada.
As Saturday's finale nears in what's been a notably rainy East Coast stop to the annual Sunshine Double, a trio of US stars — world No. 4 Coco Gauff, No. 5 Jessica Pegula, and No. 45 Hailey Baptiste — plus Canada's No. 9 Victoria Mboko all advanced to the tournament's final eight on Monday.
Hot off her Round of 32 ousting of No. 8 Elina Svitolina on Sunday, Baptiste qualified for her first-ever WTA 1000 quarterfinal with a 6-3, 6-4 Monday win over No. 24 Jeļena Ostapenko in the Round of 16.
"I've been here for a while, everybody pretty much knows what I can do and it's time for me to show it," the 24-year-old said following her Monday victory.
Baptiste will next face No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka on Wednesday, with No. 2 Elena Rybakina, No. 12 Belinda Bencic, and No. 14 Karolína Muchová rounding out the quarterfinals field.
"I've been watching her game," Sabalenka said prior to what will be her first-ever meeting with Baptiste. "She's playing really great tennis — great serving, great variety — and it's going to be a great battle."
How to watch the 2026 Miami Open quarterfinals
Mboko and Muchová will kick off the 2026 Miami Open quarterfinals at 2 PM ET on Tuesday, before Bencic battles Gauff at 7 PM ET.
Baptiste's clash with Sabalenka and Rybakina vs. Pegula will cap the quarterfinal round on Wednesday, with times still to be determined.
Live coverage of the Miami Open airs on the Tennis Channel.
US wildcard entry Hailey Baptiste delivered a stunning upset over world No. 17 Emma Navarro at the Abu Dhabi Open on Tuesday, winning 7-6(6), 0-6, 6-3 in a dramatic three-set battle.
The victory marked unranked Baptiste's fourth-career Top 20 win, as she advanced to her her first WTA 500 quarterfinal. Fourth-seeded Navarro, who entered as a tournament favorite, couldn't go the stretch despite dominating the second frame.
Baptiste saved a set point in the opening tiebreak with an expertly placed volley before clinching the set with a drop shot. Her fellow US talent responded emphatically, blanking her opponent 6-0 in the second set.
The turning point came when Baptiste left the court between sets for a mental reset. The strategy proved effective, as she approached the decider with renewed focus and aggression.
"I just had to grind and keep digging and digging," Baptiste said postmatch.
"Obviously the second set was not great for me, but I'm really happy I was able to turn it around. I just left the court to reset, I didn't really tell myself much — I never really leave the court, so me doing that was enough to reset."
Baptiste broke Navarro at 4-3 in the final set with a powerful forehand winner, then closed out the match with her seventh ace. The win ended Baptiste's three-match losing streak to Emma Navarro, dating back to their first meeting in 2018.
Baptiste will next face 2023 tournament runner-up Liudmila Samsonova in the Abu Dhabi Open quarterfinals. Fellow US player McCartney Kessler also advanced Tuesday, scoring an upset victory over sixth-seeded Leylah Fernandez.
The next generation of tennis stars are on the rise, with youth-powered upsets rattling this week's third round of the 2026 Australian Open.
No. 8 Jasmine Paolini became the season's first fallen Top 10 contender, as the Italian standout fell 6-2, 7-6(3) to US 18-year-old and world No. 27 Iva Jović early Friday morning.
No. 14 Clara Tauson and No. 10 Belinda Bencic also bowed out of the Melbourne Grand Slam thanks to a pair of 19-year-olds, with Canada's No. 16 Victoria Mboko and Czechia's No. 126 Nikola Bartunkova ousting the Danish and Swiss stars, respectively, on Thursday to advance to this weekend's fourth round.
Even more, Mboko and Bartunkova were two of five teenagers featuring in the Grand Slam's third round, as the WTA establishment clashed with its future.
Meanwhile, 21-year-old star Coco Gauff survived a three-set scare against fellow US talent No. 70 Hailey Baptiste, with the world No. 3 eventually reaching her fourth straight Australian Open Round of 16 behind Thursday's 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 come-from-behind win.
"On the serve, I was just trying to be aggressive with my placement and not be too passive," Gauff said postmatch. "Honestly, I'm out there trying to figure out that balance along with everybody else."
How to watch the 2026 Australian Open
The third round of the 2026 Australian Open wraps on Friday night, with WTA stars like No. 2 Iga Świątek, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 17 Naomi Osaka all aiming to advance.
Friday's action kicks off with defending champion No. 9 Madison Keys taking on Czechia's Karolína Plíšková while fellow US standout No. 6 Jessica Pegula faces No. 101 Oksana Selekhmeteva at 6:30 PM ET.
All matches from the Melbourne Slam air live across ESPN platforms.
Two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka is looking like her old self this week, as the world No. 24 advanced to the 2025 New York Grand Slam's third round for the first time since 2021 with a straight-set win over the US's No. 47 Hailey Baptiste on Thursday.
"I don't make it my business to know anymore, I kind of just leave it up in the air," said the fan favorite following questions about a possible fifth Grand Slam title run. "I've trained really hard. I practiced really hard. If it happens, it happens."
After taking her lumps on the WTA Tour since returning from pregnancy in 2024, the 2025 US Open marks Osaka's first seeded entry into a major tournament since 2022 — and she appears to be embracing her competitive boost in style, complete with eye-catching outfits and a matching Labubu.
The 27-year-old Japanese national next faces No. 18 Daria Kasatkina in the pair's third career meeting, with Osaka getting the best of the Australian in both previous matchups — most recently at the 2024 Italian Open.
Should Osaka advance to Sunday's Round of 16, she could be on a collision course toward a date with No. 3 Coco Gauff, after the US star advanced past her own emotionally challenging second-round battle on Thursday.
How to watch Naomi Osaka at the 2025 US Open
With times still to be announced, Osaka will next battle Kasatkina during the second day of 2025 US Open third-round play on Saturday.
Live coverage of the New York Grand Slam airs across ESPN platforms.
The 2025 US Open is putting the WTA's best to the test, with some top-ranked players battling in three-set epics in the annual Grand Slam's first round.
World No. 6 Madison Keys suffered the first major upset of the tournament on Monday, committing 89 unforced errors across three hours and 10 minutes of play to fall to Mexico's No. 82 Renata Zarazúa 6-7 (10), 7-6 (3), 7-5.
No. 3 Coco Gauff also found herself locked in a three-set battle, narrowly defeating Australia's No. 79 Ajla Tomljanović 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 in her own three-hour endurance trial on Tuesday.
"This is the match that I needed," Gauff said afterwards. "I don't think it can get any more stressful than this."
Meanwhile, other top talents have seen smoother rides, with No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, No. 2 Iga Świątek, and No. 4 Jessica Pegula all dispatching their opponents with relative ease.
Fan favorite No. 24 Naomi Osaka also cruised through her first-round matchup against No. 106 Greet Minnen, downing the Belgian in straight sets on Tuesday to meet US star No. 47 Hailey Baptiste on Thursday's second-round court.
A dramatic finish in Wednesday's second-round play also dominated headlines, as popular US contender No. 139 Taylor Townsend — the current world No. 1 doubles player — served Latvia's No. 26 Jeļena Ostapenko a 7-5, 6-1 upset loss in singles play, with the pair's heated post-match exchange causing a stir.
"[Ostapenko] told me I have no class and no education and to see what happens when we get outside the US," Townsend relayed in her on-court interview.
How to watch the 2025 US Open
The US Open's second-round play concludes on Thursday before the third round kicks off on Friday.
Live coverage of the New York Grand Slam airs across ESPN platforms.
US tennis icon Venus Williams has turned back the clock, scoring her first singles win in almost two years at the 2025 DC Open hardcourt tournament this week.
With her straight-set Tuesday victory over fellow US pro and world No. 35 Peyton Stearns, the 45-year-old Williams became the oldest player to win a WTA singles match since then-47-year-old Martina Navratilova did so at Wimbledon in 2004.
"I'm here with my friends, family, people I love, and the fans, too, who I love and they love me, so this has been just a beautiful night," the seven-time Grand Slam winner said after the match.
Williams's DC Open run also saw her snag an opening two-set doubles victory alongside fellow US partner Hailey Baptiste on Monday, though the pair fell in a three-set battle to the No. 2-seed duo of US star Taylor Townsend and China's Zhang Shuai on Wednesday.
Next on the tennis legend's DC Open docket is a Round of 16 clash with No. 5 seed and world No. 24 Polish contender Magdalena Fręch, as Williams takes her comeback push one match at a time.
"It doesn't matter how many times you fall down. Doesn't matter how many times you get sick or get hurt or whatever it is," she said. "If you continue to believe and put in the work, there is an opportunity, there is space for you."
How to watch Venus Williams at the 2025 DC Open
Williams will hit the court against Fręch at 7:30 PM ET on Thursday, airing live on the Tennis Channel.
US tennis icon Venus Williams is back in action, returning to the hard court to feature in both the singles and doubles competition at the 2025 DC Open this week.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion will face off against fellow US player and world No. 35 Peyton Stearns in their tournament opener on Tuesday — the unranked 45-year-old's first official competitive match since exiting the 2024 Miami Open in the first round some 16 months ago.
"Why not?" Williams said of her DC Open wild card berth. "I love the game. And the hard courts, it's my favorite surface, what I feel comfortable on."
"My personal goal is to have fun I think right now and enjoy the moment, not put too much pressure on myself," she added.
As one top talent hops back into the spotlight, however, another is stepping out of it, as two-time Wimbledon finalist and current world No. 72 Ons Jabeur announced last Thursday that she's taking an indefinite leave from professional tennis.
"For the past two years, I've been pushing myself so hard, fighting through injuries and facing many other challenges," the former world No. 2 wrote in an Instagram post. "But deep down, I haven't truly felt happy on the court for some time now."
"Tennis is such a beautiful sport," the barrier-breaking 30-year-old Tunisian star added. "But right now, I feel it's time to take a step back and finally put myself first: to breathe, to heal, and to rediscover the joy of simply living."
How to watch Venus Williams at the 2025 DC Open
Williams' return to the WTA court begins on Monday, when the legend will pair up with fellow US player Hailey Baptiste in an opening doubles match against the US's Clervie Ngounoue and Canada's Eugenie Bouchard at 2:30 PM ET.
Her 2025 DC Open singles campaign kicks off against Stearns at 10 AM ET on Tuesday.
Live coverage of all tournament matches will air on the Tennis Channel.