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MASON, Ohio -- Venus Williams' return to professional tennis will not just be a one-tournament visit: She was awarded a wild-card entry on Wednesday for next month's Cincinnati Open. The 45-year-old Williams is participating in her first event in more than a year this week at the DC Open and won first-round matches in both singles and doubles. Her 6-3, 6-4 victory over 23-year-old Peyton Stearns on Tuesday night made Williams the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match. Martina Navratilova was 47 when she picked up her last singles victory in 2004. Williams has won seven Grand Slam singles titles -- five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open -- plus 14 more in doubles with her sister Serena and two in mixed doubles. She'll play Magdalena Frech of Poland on Thursday in Washington. The Cincinnati Open begins on Aug. 5 and is a hard-court tuneup for the US Open. Caty McNally, the only player to take a set off champion Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon, also was given a wild card for Cincinnati on Wednesday.
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